Review
Virology
Ralph Tayyar, Dora Ho
Summary: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) are alpha herpesviruses that cause recurrent infections and significant complications, especially in immunocompromised hosts. Virus-specific tests are crucial in diagnosing atypical cases. Antiviral drugs like acyclovir and valacyclovir are commonly used, with foscarnet as an alternative for resistant cases. Prophylaxis should be considered for high-risk cancer patients, and vaccines are available for preventing varicella and zoster.
Article
Ophthalmology
Marc Labetoulle, David Boutolleau, Sonia Burrel, Oscar Haigh, Antoine Rousseau
Summary: Herpes simplex virus (HSK), Varicella-Zoster virus (VZK), and Cytomegalovirus keratitis are common concerns for ophthalmologists, often leading to emergency consultations and potential vision loss. Recurrences of these viral infections increase the risk of sequelae, making tailored treatment essential to mitigate immediate consequences. Long-term antiviral therapy is recommended for patients with frequent recurrences, although the emergence of resistant viral strains poses challenges.
Article
Immunology
Arnaud G. L'Huillier, Cedric Hirzel, Victor H. Ferreira, Matthew Ierullo, Terrance Ku, Nazia Selzner, Jeffrey Schiff, Stephen Juvet, Congrong Miao, D. Scott Schmid, Atul Humar, Deepali Kumar
Summary: The study evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of RZV in VZV-seronegative SOT patients, showing that RZV elicited significant humoral and cellular immune responses, indicating its potential as a preventive strategy against primary varicella.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Gha-Hyun Lee, Jiyoung Kim, Hyun-Woo Kim, Jae Wook Cho
Summary: This study aimed to assess the clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, and outcomes in patients with HSV-1, HSV-2, and VZV CNS infections. It found that HSV-1 infection was commonly associated with encephalitis and poor prognosis, while HSV-2 and VZV infections were associated with a low risk of mortality and neurological sequelae.
Article
Neurosciences
Dana M. Cairns, Ruth F. Itzhaki, David L. Kaplan
Summary: The Varicella zoster virus (VZV) indirectly contributes to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by causing gliosis and increasing levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, VZV infection of cells quiescently infected with HSV-1 leads to the reactivation of HSV-1 and AD-like changes, including amyloid-beta and P-tau accumulation.
JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Hajar Besbassi, Irene Garcia-Fogeda, Mark Quinlivan, Judy Breuer, Steven Abrams, Niel Hens, Benson Ogunjimi, Philippe Beutels
Summary: Studying antibody dynamics following infection or vaccination is crucial for understanding immunological processes, vaccine development, and health policy research. This study used nonlinear mixed modeling based on ordinary differential equations to characterize varicella-zoster virus specific antibody dynamics. The results provide crucial insights for predicting the impact of vaccines.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Virology
Kimiyasu Shiraki, Shinichiro Yasumoto, Nozomu Toyama, Hiroaki Fukuda
Summary: Acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir are commonly used for the treatment of herpes simplex virus and varicella-zoster virus infections. However, recent studies have shown that amenamevir, a helicase-primase inhibitor, has novel mechanisms of action against these viruses with promising clinical efficacy. Its antiviral activity is not influenced by the viral replication cycle and has been demonstrated to be non-inferior to valacyclovir in treating herpes zoster.
Article
Microbiology
P. Pancholi, R. F. Relich, S. Chandrasekaran, J. J. Dunn, P. A. Granato, A. T. Harrington, G. T. Hansen, N. A. Ledeboer, Q. Li, M. D. Sims, T. S. Uphoff, W. Greene, S. Young, N. Dhiman
Summary: This study evaluated the performance of two different molecular assays for detecting Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and found that the Simplexa assays showed near perfect agreement with the composite reference methods. Comparison with standard molecular assays used at the site of specimen collection also showed excellent agreement. The Simplexa assays offer rapid and reliable alternatives for VZV detection in certain clinical specimens.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Pathology
Maria Mostyka, Jinru Shia, William L. Neumann, Christa L. Whitney-Miller, Michael Feely, Rhonda K. Yantiss
Summary: Reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus (VZV) can lead to gastrointestinal involvement, particularly in immunocompromised patients, producing unique histologic features that differ from herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. Recognition of gastrointestinal VZV infection is crucial due to its potential to progress to life-threatening disseminated disease.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGICAL PATHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Dermatology
Takenobu Yamamoto, Yumi Aoyama
Summary: This study aimed to establish a method for detecting larger multinucleated giant cells using the Tzanck smear to increase sensitivity in detecting herpetic infections.
JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ophthalmology
Douglas A. Jabs, Nisha R. Acharya, Laure Caspers, Soon-Phaik Chee, Debra Goldstein, Peter McCluskey, Philip Murray, Neal Oden, Alan G. Palestine, James T. Rosenbaum, Jennifer E. Thorne, Brett E. Trusko
Summary: The study aimed to determine classification criteria for varicella zoster virus (VZV) anterior uveitis using machine learning. Through analysis of cases, key criteria for VZV anterior uveitis were identified, including unilateral anterior uveitis, positive aqueous humor polymerase chain reaction assay, and sectoral iris atrophy in patients >= 60 years of age. The criteria showed low misclassification rates and performed well in clinical and translational research.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
R. Freire de Castro, D. Crema, F. C. Neiva, R. A. S. R. Pinto, F. A. Suzuki
Summary: This study estimated the prevalence of herpes zoster virus reactivation in Brazilian patients with idiopathic peripheral facial palsy through analysis of serological samples. The findings showed that the rate of serological reactivation of the virus was similar to foreign literature data.
JOURNAL OF LARYNGOLOGY AND OTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Geno Guerra, Lucie McCoy, Helen M. Hansen, Terri Rice, Annette M. Molinaro, Joseph L. Wiemels, John K. Wiencke, Margaret Wrensch, Stephen S. Francis
Summary: A study found that the survival of adults with glioma is associated with the antibody levels of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), but not with cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus 1/2 (HSV) antibody levels.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Joseph Katz, Sijia Yue, Wei Xue
Summary: Herpes simplex-1 and varicella zoster viruses are strongly associated with COVID-19 infection, potentially leading to detrimental outcomes.
IRISH JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Marie Ella Horstmann, Mohammad Al Hariri, Stephanie D. Grabitz, Julia Bing Bu, Melissa Apel, Norbert Pfeiffer, Joanna Wasielica-Poslednik
Summary: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, and CMV DNA in donor corneas. The results showed a higher prevalence of HSV-1 and VZV DNA in donor corneas, with no detection of HSV-2 or CMV DNA. Postoperative complications were more common in patients with positive viral DNA.