Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 53, Issue 6 , Pages 792-795 , June 2009

Herpes Zoster and Meningitis Resulting From Reactivation of Varicella Vaccine Virus in an Immunocompetent Child

  • Sujit Iyer, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Emergency Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
    • The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
    • University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress for correspondence: Sujit Iyer, MD, Division of Emergency Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4399; 215-590-1961, fax 215-590-4454
    • ,
  • Manoj K. Mittal, MD, MRCP (UK)

      Affiliations

    • Division of Emergency Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
    • The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
    • University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
    • ,
  • Richard L. Hodinka, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology and Clinical Virology Laboratory, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
    • University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

Received 28 August 2008 ,Revised 12 October 2008 ,Accepted 20 October 2008.

References 

  1. Gilden DH, Kleinschmidt-DeMasters BK, LaGuardia JJ, et al. Neurologic complications of the reactivation of varicella-zoster virus. N Engl J Med. 2000;342:635–645
  2. Chaves SS, Haber P, Walton K, et al. Safety of varicella vaccine after licensure in the United States: experience from reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, 1995-2005. J Infect Dis. 2008;197(suppl 2):S170–S177
  3. Loparev VN, Rubtcova E, Seward JF, et al. DNA sequence variability in isolates recovered from patients with postvaccination rash or herpes zoster caused by Oka varicella vaccine. J Infect Dis. 2007;195:502–510
  4. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases. Prevention of varicella: recommendations for use of varicella vaccines in children, including a recommendation for a routine 2-dose varicella immunization schedule. Pediatrics. 2007;120:221–231
  5. Kuter B, Matthews H, Shinefield H, et al. Ten year follow-up of healthy children who received one or two injections of varicella vaccine. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2004;23:132–137
  6. Galea SA, Sweet A, Beninger P, et al. The safety profile of varicella vaccine: a 10-year review. J Infect Dis. 2008;197(suppl 2):S165–S169
  7. Wootton SH, Law B, Tan B, et al. The epidemiology of children hospitalized with herpes zoster in Canada: Immunization Monitoring Program, Active (IMPACT), 1991-2005. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2008;27:112–118
  8. Koskiniemi M, Rantalaiho T, Piiparinen H, et al. Infections of the central nervous system of suspected viral origin: a collaborative study from Finland. J Neurovirol. 2001;7:400–408
  9. Hausfater P, Fillet AM, Rozenberg F, et al. Prevalence of viral infection markers by polymerase chain reaction amplification and interferon-alpha measurements among patients undergoing lumbar puncture in an emergency department. J Med Virol. 2004;73:137–146
  10. Pirounaki M, Liatsos G, Elefsiniotis I, et al. Unusual onset of varicella zoster reactivation with meningoencephalitis, followed by rhabdomyolysis and renal failure in a young, immunocompetent patient. Scand J Infect Dis. 2007;39:90–93
  11. Mogensen TH, Larsen CS. Aseptic meningitis caused by reactivation of varicella-zoster virus in two immunocompetent patients. Scand J Infect Dis. 2006;38:815–818
  12. Chiappini E, Calabri G, Galli L, et al. Varicella-zoster virus acquired at 4 months of age reactivates at 24 months and causes encephalitis. J Pediatr. 2002;140:250–251
  13. Jhaveri R, Sankar R, Yazdani S, et al. Varicella-zoster virus: an overlooked cause of aseptic meningitis. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2003;22:96–97
  14. Haanpaa M, Dastidar P, Weinberg A, et al. CSF and MRI findings in patients with acute herpes zoster. Neurology. 1998;51:1405–1411
  15. Steiner I, Kennedy PG, Pachner AR. The neurotropic herpes viruses: herpes simplex and varicella-zoster. Lancet Neurol. 2007;6:1015–1028
  16. Aberle SW, Aberle JH, Steininger C, et al. Quantitative real time PCR detection of varicella-zoster virus DNA in cerebrospinal fluid in patients with neurological disease. Med Microbiol Immunol. 2005;194:7–12
  17. Gilden D. Varicella zoster virus and central nervous system syndromes. Herpes. 2004;11(suppl 2):89A–94A

 Supervising editor: David M. Jaffe, MD

 Funding and support: By Annals policy, all authors are required to disclose any and all commercial, financial, and other relationships in any way related to the subject of this article that might create any potential conflict of interest. The authors have stated that no such relationships exist. See the Manuscript Submission Agreement in this issue for examples of specific conflicts covered by this statement.

 Publication date: Available online November 22, 2008.

 Reprints not available from the authors.

PII: S0196-0644(08)01907-0

doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2008.10.023

Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 53, Issue 6 , Pages 792-795 , June 2009

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