Lethal varicella-zoster virus reactivation without skin lesions following renal transplantation.
Patients after solid organ transplantation are at increased risk of developing herpes zoster and are more likely to develop major complications such as cutaneous dissemination, post-herpetic neuralgia and visceral organ involvement. We report on a 68-year-old woman being varicella-zoster virus (VZV)-seropositive prior to transplantation, who developed fatal VZV meningoencephalitis after renal transplantation presenting with non-specific neurologic symptoms. The case illustrates that VZV reactivation may occur in renal transplant recipients in the absence of skin lesions. Approaches towards risk assessment pre-transplantation and prophylactic regimens for the prevention of VZV recurrence are needed.
Jantsch
Jonathan
J
Microbiology Institute, Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Schmidt
Barbara
B
Bardutzky
Jürgen
J
Bogdan
Christian
C
Eckardt
Kai-Uwe
KU
Raff
Ulrike
U
D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008590:Meningoencephalitis / Q000209:etiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012871:Skin Diseases; D014775:Virus Activation
D000998:Antiviral Agents