BACKGROUND: Herpes simplex is a common human pathogen that has rare but severe manifestations including encephalitis. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 44-year-old man underwent uneventful resection of an acoustic neuroma. Postoperatively, he developed swinging pyrexia, vomiting, and episodic confusion. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid showed a lymphocytosis, and polymerase chain reaction revealed herpes simplex DNA. After treatment of herpes encephalitis with acyclovir, the patient made a good recovery. CONCLUSION: Herpes encephalitis is a rare complication of neurosurgical procedures, and the most likely etiology is reactivation of latent infection from manipulation of cranial nerves.
BACKGROUND: Herpes simplex is a common human pathogen that has rare but severe manifestations including encephalitis. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 44-year-old man underwent uneventful resection of an acoustic neuroma. Postoperatively, he developed swinging pyrexia, vomiting, and episodic confusion. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid showed a lymphocytosis, and polymerase chain reaction revealed herpes simplex DNA. After treatment of herpes encephalitis with acyclovir, the patient made a good recovery. CONCLUSION: Herpes encephalitis is a rare complication of neurosurgical procedures, and the most likely etiology is reactivation of latent infection from manipulation of cranial nerves.
Authors: David A Jaques; Spyridoula Bagetakou; Arnaud G L'Huillier; Andrea Bartoli; Maria-Isabel Vargas; Joel Fluss; Laurent Kaiser Journal: Virol J Date: 2016-05-23 Impact factor: 4.099