Reactivation of Herpes zoster in an adult with Plasmodium infection.

People with malaria have a reduced immune response not only to the malaria parasite, but also to other organisms and antigens. Clinical studies and animal models have shown that plasmodia can temporarily suppress a host’s humoral and cellular immune response, predisposing the host to super infections with other microorganisms. Plasmodium infections have been shown to induce alterations in immune reactivity and acute malaria has been associated with reactivation of chronic and latent viral infections such as Herpes zoster1, Herpes simplex and Epstein-Barr virus, most of these commonly seen in children. There are no case reports of Plasmodium infections in adults with reactivations of chronic latent viral infections. An adult with Plasmodium falciparum infection, who had developed Herpes zoster in the course of illness is reported here. The case illustrates the need for considering the immunosuppressive effect of acute malaria, especially due to P. falciparum when latent viral infections manifest during the course of illness.