title: VZV encephalitis following successful treatment of CMV infection in a patient with kidney transplant.
abstract: A 73-year-old woman with a history of deceased donor kidney transplantation and a recent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, presented to the emergency department with an altered mental status. She was found to have varicella zoster virus VZV encephalitis based on cerebrospinal fluid analysis and was treated successfully with intravenous valaciclovir with an improvement in her mental status. A review of the literature shows very few case reports on patients with kidney transplantation developing VZV encephalitis. A few case reports and studies report an association between CMV and VZV infection. In these patients, CMV infection can cause a marked decline in immunity and this predisposes them to other infections. Such associations have also been reported between other types of virus infections from the Herpesviridae family. The risk of disseminated VZV infection increases in the presence of CMV infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Shahzaib
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nabi
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Pushpinderdeep
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kahlon
authors.affiliation: Department of Transplant Nephrology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Mariella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goggins
authors.affiliation: Department of Transplant Nephrology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patel
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D020804:Encephalitis, Varicella Zoster / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D000077483:Valacyclovir; D014633:Valine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D014633:Valine; D000077483:Valacyclovir; D000212:Acyclovir