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
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
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
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
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)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matylda Barbara Mielcarska, Katarzyna Skowronska, Zbigniew Wyzewski, Felix Ngosa Toka
Summary: Current data strongly indicate that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection is a contributing factor to Alzheimer's disease (AD). HSV-1 infection causes damage to neurons and glial cells, as well as modifications in their environment, leading to impaired signal transmission and homeostatic and immune functions. This review discusses the pathological alterations in central nervous system (CNS) cells following HSV-1 infection, including inflammatory responses, oxidative damage, and cellular dysfunctions associated with AD development.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
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)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Salim Ali Algaadi
Summary: The study reviewed literature on COVID-19-associated herpes zoster (HZ) cases and found that 29 patients had HZ associated with COVID-19 infection, with a wide range of ages and mostly affecting middle-aged individuals. Lymphopenia was prevalent in 86.6% of patients. More research is needed to confirm the relationship between these two infections.
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
Medical Laboratory Technology
Shaian Tavakolian, Hossein Goudarzi, Gita Eslami, Ilad Alavi Darazam, Golnaz Dehghan, Ebrahim Faghihloo
Summary: Despite medical advances, CNS diseases continue to strain the healthcare system, with infectious agents such as viruses playing a major role in accelerating conditions like meningitis. This study examined samples from 102 patients with symptoms of CNS infections, identifying a prevalence of EBV, HSV-1, and VZV, highlighting the need for further investigation into these viruses in meningitis cases.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL LABORATORY ANALYSIS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kerry J. Laing, Werner J. D. Ouwendijk, Victoria L. Campbell, Christopher L. McClurkan, Shahin Mortazavi, Michael Elder Waters, Maxwell P. Krist, Richard Tu, Nhi Nguyen, Krithi Basu, Congrong Miao, D. Scott Schmid, Christine Johnston, Georges M. G. M. Verjans, David M. Koelle
Summary: This study reveals that varicella-zoster virus-specific T cells preferentially persist as tissue-resident-memory T cells in the rash-involved skin after recovery from zoster, indicating their importance in controlling skin infections.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)