Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a highly neurotropic, exclusively human herpesvirus. Primary infection causes varicella (chickenpox), wherein VZV replicates in multiple organs, particularly the skin. Widespread infection in vivo is confirmed by the ability of VZV to kill tissue culture cells in vitro derived from any organ. After varicella, VZV becomes latent in ganglionic neurons along the entire neuraxis. During latency, virus DNA replication stops, transcription is restricted, and no progeny virions are produced, indicating a unique virus-cell (neuron) relationship. VZV reactivation produces zoster (shingles), often complicated by serious neurological and ocular disorders. The molecular trigger(s) for reactivation, and thus the identity of a potential target to prevent it, remains unknown due to an incomplete understanding of the VZV-neuron interaction. While no in vitro system has yet recapitulated the findings in latently infected ganglia, recent studies show that VZV infection of human neurons in SCID mice and of human stem cells, including induced human pluripotent stem cells and normal human neural progenitor tissue-like assemblies, can be established in the absence of a cytopathic effect. Usefulness of these systems in discovering the mechanisms underlying reactivation awaits analyses of VZV-infected, highly pure (>90%), terminally differentiated human neurons capable of prolonged survival in vitro.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v5092106 | DOI Listing |
Cureus
December 2024
Dermatology and Venereology, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, BGR.
Herpes zoster (HZ) is a viral infection caused by the reactivation of endogenous and latent varicella-zoster virus that remains dormant in the cranial nerve or dorsal root ganglia. HZ occurs in a portion of the general population, with a higher incidence observed in high-risk individuals. Patients with impaired immunity, including human immunodeficiency virus infection, organ transplantation, old age, and cancer-related treatments such as chemotherapy (CT) and radiotherapy (RT) were found more prone to HZ infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Virol
January 2025
Division of Infectious Diseases, Virology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
An effective live zoster vaccine has been widely used around the world. Although no deaths occurred in the original large clinical trial, we analyzed 10 serious adverse events, including six deaths that have subsequently occurred in four countries. The goal is to define the viral pathogenesis of these unexpected adverse events secondary to a viremia with dissemination of the vaccine virus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCureus
December 2024
Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Patras, Patras, GRC.
In this case, we present the case of a 74-year-old female patient who visited the University Hospital of Patras, Greece, because of a 10-day history of earache and discharge in the left ear. Concurrently, the patient exhibited ipsilateral peripheral facial nerve palsy. We also observed vesicular eruption at the auricle and the external auditory canal (EAC) of the left ear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCase Rep Surg
January 2025
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Cork University Hospital, Cork, County Cork, Ireland.
A rare case of Fournier's gangrene (FG) secondary to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) affecting the penis and scrotum of a 7-year-old boy is presented. To the authors' knowledge, there are four cases of FG in children as a result of VZV reported to date. Our patient underwent a total of four surgical debridements and was reconstructed using a split-thickness skin graft (SSG).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNarra J
December 2024
Department of Dermatology Venereology and Aesthetic, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia.
Varicella, caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), is rarely reported in the elderly but often complicates with pneumonia. In this case report, we present a case of varicella pneumonia in the elderly. A 60-year-old man presented to the emergency room with vesicles filled with clear fluid that had appeared all over the body for the past four days.
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