Meningitis Caused by Reactivation of Herpes Zoster Virus

Abstract

Herpes zoster, caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus, remains latent in the sensory nerve ganglia after primoinfection. It is usually manifested by a painful vesicular rash distributed in a dermatome and may be associated with neurological complications. Involvement of the central nervous system is uncommon, especially in the immunocompetent young patients. A 17-year-old male adolescent with a personal history of varicella diagnosed in the first year of life, presented headache, phonophobia, photophobia and fever, associated whit neck stiffness and a cluster of vesicular cutaneous lesions in the right dorsal region. Deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase for the varicella zoster virus in the cerebrospinal fluid was positive. The patient underwent a total of 14 days of intravenous acyclovir therapy with total remission of symptoms. In immunocompetent individuals with prompt therapeuthic institution, complete resolution of the condition is expected, with no sequelae in the medium-to-long term.