Fulminant hepatitis from herpes simplex virus type 2 in an immunocompetent adult.
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is regarded as a common viral pathogen that produces a wide variety of diseases. After a primary infection, which usually occurs during childhood and may or may not be clinically evident, the virus establishes a latent infection in the local sensory ganglia and can reactivate throughout the life of the individual. Fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) due to HSV infection is a clinical condition well known in pediatric, immunocompromised, and pregnant patients. It is rare in immunocompetent hosts. We report the case of a 51-year-old man with no significant past medical history who developed FHF with disseminated intravascular coagulopathy and septic shock secondary to HSV infection. The initial diagnosis was made through a frozen section of a needle liver biopsy and the presence of HSV was confirmed in the permanent section with immunohistochemistry. HSV was grown in cell culture from liver tissue obtained through an autopsy.
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Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Miami, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, and Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida, USA.
Alcaide
M L
ML
Pano
J R
JR
Robinson
P G
PG
Campo
R E
RE
D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000821:virology*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000821:virology; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged