Welcome to our latest slideshow! Click through the slides to learn about presentations of different viruses in the Herpesviridae family. Each slide links to the full case report for more details.
- Herpes Simplex Virus Encephalitis
A 44-year-old woman presented to the emergency department (ED) with a 1-day history of acute mental status changes, headache, neck pain, and fever. Her symptoms had progressed, with increasing confusion and decreased responsiveness. Emergency medical services reported that she had had 3 seizures en route and another lasting 1 minute upon arrival at the ED, at which point she was sedated and intubated.
- Disseminated Herpes Zoster Infection
A 61-year-old woman presented with upper abdominal pain and a rash over the past week. She had had a kidney transplant 10 years ago and was on long-term tacrolimus, mycophenolate, and prednisone. The rash had started in the midline of the abdominal wall as small vesicles, which eventually enlarged, spread, and then crusted. Patchy erythematous lesions also were present in the buccal cavity. She rated the abdominal pain as low grade, and it was not associated with hematemesis or melena. She had no known sick contacts and no history of a similar rash as an adult. She had had chickenpox and other common childhood diseases when she was young.
- Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection
A previously healthy 16-year-old boy presented to an after-hours pediatric clinic with a painful rash. The patient described a burning and tingling sensation along his left inner thigh and across his left lower back that had begun 7 days prior to presentation. He reported that 4 days prior to presentation, a circular, pustular rash had appeared on his lower back, above his waistband, as well as redness and small blisters on his leg and groin. At that time, the pediatrician at the after-hours clinic diagnosed folliculitis and prescribed mupirocin ointment to be applied 3 times a day.
- Herpes Simplex Virus Esophagitis in an Immunocompetent Patient
A 53-year-old man presented to the emergency department and was subsequently admitted to the medical ward with hematemesis, melena, and atypical chest pain, all occurring intermittently for the past few days. He described the chest pain as “burning” and reported that it was provoked by eating. He had a history of cigarette smoking, alcohol dependence, gastroesophageal reflux disease, asthma, osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and seizure disorder, as well as a remote history of cerebrovascular accident without long-term deficits. He was nonadherent to medications and medical care.
- Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus
A 51-year-old woman presented to the hospital with severe left eye pain and a diffuse vesicular rash around the left eye and on the forehead. The woman was HIV-positive with a CD4 lymphocyte count of 573/µL, and she had a history of type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Initial examination revealed a diffuse, erythematous, papulovesicular rash affecting the skin around the left eye and the forehead without crossing the midline, producing severe inflammation of the upper eyelid.
Viral Infections
Slideshow: Viruses in the Herpesviridae Family
10/28/2020
