Herpes zoster is a viral disease presenting with vesicular eruptions that are usually preceded by pain and erythema. Herpes zoster can be seen in any dermatome of the body but most commonly appears in the thoracic region. Herpes zoster virus is typically transmitted from person to person through direct contact. The virus remains dormant in the dorsal ganglion of the affected individual througho...

      Varicella is a common and worldwide disease in childhood. It causes primary (chickenpox) and latent infection that may lead to a reactivation disease called zoster (shingles). Zoster or shingles is caused by reactivation of the virus that has been latent in the spinal dorsal ganglion and may occur even in immunocompetent hosts. Although zoster is rare in children, it ma...

A 74-year-old white man presented with unilateral radicular pain extending across the left side of his chest and back. A diagnosis of postherpetic neuralgia, a sequela of herpes zoster, was made. Herpes zoster represents a reactivation of the varicella zoster virus that lies dormant in patients with past chickenpox. Risk factors for the disease include advanced age, stress, immunodeficiency, an...

Antimony compounds are the cornerstone treatments for tegumentary leishmaniasis. The reactivation of herpes virus is a side effect described in few reports. We conducted an observational study to describe the incidence of herpes zoster reactivation during treatment with antimony compounds. The global incidence of herpes zoster is approximately 2.5 cases per 1,000 persons per month (or 30 cases ...

Sir, Herpes zoster is due to reactivation of varicella-zoster virus lying dormant in the dorsal root ganglion. It is characterized by pain or burning sensation in the involved dermatome with a grouped vesicular rash. In herpes zoster, acute inflammatory changes occur in the posterior nerve root and ganglia. Among the complications of herpes zoster, involvement of motor neurons is rare and may l...

Herpes zoster (shingles) is rare in children with no history of chickenpox but can occur when their mothers are infected with the virus during pregnancy. In such cases, herpes zoster generally presents after the first year of life after maternal immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies have disappeared from the child’s blood. Disseminated pediatric herpes zoster is an unusual condition. We present the ...

1. Straus SE, Ostrove JM, Inchauspe G et al. NIH conference. Varicellazoster virus infections. Biology, natural history, treatment, and prevention. Ann Intern Med 1988; 108: 221–237 2. Schmader K. Herpes zoster in older adults. Clin Infect Dis 2001; 32: 1481–1486 3. Buchbinder SP, Katz MH, Hessol NA et al. Herpes zoster and human immunodeficiency virus infection. J Infect Dis 1992; 166: 1153–11...

Herpes zoster (shingles) is rare in children with no history of chickenpox but can occur when their mothers are infected with the virus during pregnancy. In such cases, herpes zoster generally presents after the first year of life after maternal immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies have disappeared from the child’s blood. Disseminated pediatric herpes zoster is an unusual condition. We present the ...

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons have higher rates of herpes zoster than HIV-uninfected individuals. We assessed whether twice daily treatment with 400 mg of oral acyclovir reduces the incidence of herpes zoster in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial among 3408 persons coinfected with HIV and herpes simplex virus type 2. During 5175 person-years of follow-up,...

BACKGROUND After allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation patients are at increased risk for herpes zoster as long as varicella-zoster virus specific T-cell reconstitution is impaired. This study aimed to identify immunodominant varicella-zoster virus antigens that drive recovery of virus-specific T cells after transplantation. DESIGN AND METHODS Antigens were purified from a varice...