Neurologic Complications of the Reactivation of Varicella–Zoster Virus

Varicella–zoster virus is an exclusively human herpesvirus that causes chickenpox (varicella), becomes latent in cranial-nerve and dorsal-root ganglia, and frequently reactivates decades later to produce shingles (zoster) and postherpetic neuralgia. In immunocompetent elderly persons or immunocompromised patients, varicella–zoster virus may produce disease of the central nervous system.Since the last major review of varicella–zoster virus in the Journal, 1,2 advances in molecular biology have provided important new insights into the pathogenesis of infection with varicella–zoster virus. The detection of varicella–zoster virus in blood vessels and other tissues by methods based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has widened the recognized . . .