Encephalitis of varizella-zoster in a 26 months old child

Abstract

Aims: Primary varizella-zoster infections relate usually to immundeficient children. Histopathologic it concerns a vasculitis of the small vessels (most immundefecient, VZV-PCR positive in the CSF) or the big vessels (most immuncompetent, VZV- Antigen positive, VZV- PCR negativ in the CSF). The diagnosis depends on the clinic, the MRI and the PCR of the VZV- DNS in the CSF. Here, we present the dramatic case of a young boy in whom a typical infection of varizella-zoster led to an encephalitis of varizella- zoster.