title: The variegate neurological manifestations of varicella zoster virus infection.
abstract: Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is an exclusively human neurotropic alphaherpesvirus. Primary infection causes varicella (chickenpox), after which the virus becomes latent in ganglionic neurons along the entire neuraxis. With advancing age or immunosuppression, cell-mediated immunity to VZV declines, and the virus reactivates to cause zoster (shingles), dermatomal distribution, pain, and rash. Zoster is often followed by chronic pain (postherpetic neuralgia), cranial nerve palsies, zoster paresis, vasculopathy, meningoencephalitis, and multiple ocular disorders. This review covers clinical, laboratory, and pathological features of neurological complications of VZV reactivation, including diagnostic testing to verify active VZV infection in the nervous system. Additional perspectives are provided by discussions of VZV latency, animal models to study varicella pathogenesis and immunity, and of the value of vaccination of elderly individuals to boost cell-mediated immunity to VZV and prevent VZV reactivation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12700 E. 19th Avenue, Box B182, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. don.gilden@ucdenver.edu
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gilden
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nagel
authors.forename: Randall J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Cohrs
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mahalingam
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D051474:Neuralgia, Postherpetic / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D017735:Virus Latency / Q000502:physiology