1/2. Quantification of circulating varicella zoster virus-dna for the early diagnosis of visceral varicella.Varicella zoster virus (VZV)-dna was quantified in peripheral blood of 2 patients with visceral varicella due to endogenous reactivation. An 18-year-old male contracted varicella following the courses of chemotherapy for T cell lymphoma. Another 18-year-old male suffered from varicella 16 months after the complete engraftment of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Both patients had past VZV infection, but no recent contact with the disease. Paralytic ileus and ascites preceded the skin lesions. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed >200 copies of VZV per 1 ml of whole blood before or at the time when cropping vesicles emerged. The viral load reflected their prolonged clinical courses. Similar levels of VZV-dna were detected in primary varicella patients, but not in herpes zoster patients or immunocompromised children without varicella or zoster. Quantitative monitoring of circulating VZV-dna may be useful for the diagnosis and assessing the treatment response of visceral varicella in immunocompromized hosts.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = varicella (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/2. Retinal perivasculitis in an immunocompetent patient with systemic herpes simplex infection.PURPOSE: To describe a case of retinal perivasculitis in an immunocompetent patient with systemic herpes simplex infection. methods: Polymerase chain reaction amplifications were performed for aqueous and blood samples using primers specific for the following members of the herpesvirus family: cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex virus (types 1 and 2), and varicella-zoster virus. The patient was placed on intravenous acyclovir and systemic corticosteroids. RESULTS: A positive polymerase chain reaction signal was found only for herpes simplex virus type 1. Vision in the left eye improved from light perception to 20/25, and signs of retinal perivasculitis resolved. CONCLUSION: The use of molecular diagnostic modalities in clinical practice may aid in determining infectious etiologies in patients with atypical clinical manifestations.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.071428571428571keywords = varicella (Clic here for more details about this article) |