Search

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is less susceptible than herpes simplex virus to acyclovir. The optimal acyclovir regimen during VZV encephalitis remains unknown. We report two cases of acute renal failure after an increase in acyclovir dosage from 10 mg to 15 mg/kg/8 h during the treatment of VZV encephalitis according to French guidelines.

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., (2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

This is a case report of a 69-year-old morbidly obese woman who presented with mental status changes after she was treated with acyclovir for shingles. The predominant symptoms were word-finding difficulties and visual hallucinations. Complicating her presentation was acyclovir-induced acute renal injury causing her creatinine level to rise up to 7.4 mg/dL. Acyclovir was discontinued on the suspicion of acyclovir neurotoxicity. Even though PCR for varicella zoster virus in the cerebrospinal fluid was positive, acyclovir was not restarted and the patient continued to improve and returned to her baseline.

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) belongs to the group of herpes viruses. It can cause a number of nervous system infections. We present 2 of 4 patients seen recently suffering from acute meningoencephalitis, in which VZV proved to be the infectious agent. The first patient was a 57-year-old woman with headache, vomiting, and sudden aggressiveness. The second patient was a 60-year-old man with headache, nausea, and vomiting. Neither patient had skin eruptions usually associated with VZV reactivation, nor had either recently suffered from herpes zoster. Both patients had in their cerebrospinal fluid a lymphocytic pleocytosis, a decreased glucose concentration and and an elevated protein concentration. The patients recovered within a few days of starting intravenous treatment with aciclovir 10 mg/kg 3 times daily for one week. Recent literature shows that VZV is a common pathogen in meningoencephalitis and is probably underestimated as a putative cause of this condition. VZV meningoencephalitis usually has a mild course, but serious complications have been reported. Patients present with headache and usually fever. Nuchal rigidity and meningeal irritation are not always present. Since the advent of the PCR technique, VZV has been readily demonstrable. Anti-viral treatment is advised despite the lack of placebo-controlled studies, and may be combined with prednisone.