Fatal central nervous system infection with varicella-zoster virus in renal transplant recipients.
Three renal transplant patients with culture-positive central nervous system infections resulting from varicella-zoster virus died of the virus infection. No finding predicting a poor outcome in these patients could be identified. Varicella-zoster infection in transplant recipients is a potentially fatal disease, and upon diagnosis should it be treated by (1) reduction in immunosuppression, and (2) initiation of either vidarabine or acyclovir as specific antiviral therapy.
D000212:Acyclovir / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014740:Vidarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
D014740:Vidarabine; D000212:Acyclovir