BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV) is a human herpes virus that usually attacks young children and commonly causes chicken pox (Varicella). Following primary infection, a lifelong latent infection is established. The virus often reactivates during adulthood or senesces to cause shingles (Zoster). Little is known regarding the genotypes of Varicella in Kuwait. The aim of this...

Varicella zoster virus infection, which causes chickenpox and herpes zoster (HZ), is not uncommon in the general population. Varicella zoster virus can be latent in cranial nerve or dorsal root ganglia, and reactivate several decades later to produce vesicles with post-herpetic neuralgia. HZ myelitis usually occurs in elderly or immunocompromised patients. We report here a case of HZ myelitis o...

Both varicella and herpes zoster that are caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV), are associated with central nervous system disease. Since the introduction of polymerase chain reaction, the opportunity to detect the virus in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has improved dramatically. As a result VZV is diagnosed as one of the most common viruses causing CNS disease and it has become evident that this...

Commonly accepted outcomes of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infections include chickenpox (primary) and shingles (recurrence or latency), as well lifetime immunity against chickenpox. We report the case of a registered nurse who worked in a neurologic surgery ward in a general hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. While working there for approximately 1 year, she developed recurrent chickenpox after carin...

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a ubiquitous, exclusively human alphaherpesvirus. Primary infection usually results in varicella (chickenpox), after which VZV becomes latent in ganglionic neurons along the entire neuraxis. As VZV-specific cell-mediated immunity declines in elderly and immunocompromised individuals, VZV reactivates and causes herpes zoster (shingles), frequently complicated by p...

INTRODUCTION Simultaneous involvements of multiple cranial nerve ganglia (geniculate ganglion and peripheral ganglia of cranial nerves VIII, IX and X) by varicella-zoster virus and its subsequent activation may result in the characteristic eruptions of herpes zoster cephalicus. Coexistence of facial palsy and involvement of upper cervical dermatomes by varicella-zoster virus is quite rare. CA...

Herpes zoster virus (HZV) infections are caused by reactivation of the varicella zoster virus. Reactivation symptoms commonly affect the thoracolumbar trunk, and rarely affect the mandibular branches of the trigeminal nerve. When the mandibular branches are involved, lesions appear proximal to the innervation area. This condition may be associated with exfoliation of the teeth and osteonecrosis...

BACKGROUND Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is the etiologic agent of two diseases, varicella (chicken pox) and zoster (shingles). Varicella is a self- limited infection, while zoster is mainly a disease of adults. The present study was conducted to isolate VZV from clinically diagnosed children using cell cultures and compare the activity of liquorice powder extract, an alternative herbal antivira...