Herpes simplex virus isolation from pyoderma gangrenosum lesions in a patient with chronic lymphatic leukemia.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 was isolated and identified from the vesicular border of pyoderma gangrenosum lesions on the genital region of a patient with chronic lymphatic leukemia. Dramatic relief of pain as well as quick disappearance of the vesicular margin of the lesions and of the inflammatory halo around them occurred as a result of local treatment with a solution of zinc acetate. A careful search for a viral agent should be done in every case of pyoderma gangrenosum occurring in a patient with a hematological malignancy or/and impaired immunity, especially if the lesions are on the face or in the genital region.