Herpes simplex virus-1 encephalitis: a review of current disease management with three case reports.

Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) is the most common cause of lethal sporadic encephalitis. Despite improved therapy with intraveneous acyclovir, HSV-1 encephalitis is associated with persistent severe neurological deficits. We report three cases of adult patients with HSV-1 encephalitis (HSE), discuss the current accepted guidelines for treatment as published by the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) and review the literature pertaining to HSE.