ReviewCurrent opinion in infectious diseases2020
Central nervous system infections produced by varicella zoster virus.
Review in Current opinion in infectious diseases, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 71 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
71 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 99 citations in OpenAlex.
- Varicella zoster virus meningitis with a dermatomal rash in immunocompetent hosts: a systematic review and novel case report.Journal of neurovirology · 2026Pooled it
- Fulminant varicella-zoster virus meningoencephalitis without rash: Aggressive perivascular necrotizing and leptomeningeal MRI findings.Radiology case reports · 2026Article
- Varicella zoster virus infection.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026Review
- Denominator and Workflow Dependence of Age-Specific Viral Detection in Cerebrospinal Fluid.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Rashless varicella-zoster virus encephalitis diagnosed by metagenomic next-generation sequencing: two case reports.BMC neurology · 2026Article
- HSV-1 and VZV co-reactivation: implications for worsening neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.Journal of neurovirology · 2026Review
- Prognostic Factors and Clinical Characteristics of Varicella Zoster Virus Meningitis: Impact of Treatment Delay and Age-Related Differences in a Japanese Tertiary Hospital.Neurology international · 2026Article
- Article
- Varicella zoster virus meningoencephalitis and vasculopathy in an immunocompromised patient with rheumatoid arthritis: a diagnostic challenge.Journal of neurovirology · 2026Article
- Article
- Integrated Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine Approaches for Herpes Zoster and Post-Herpetic Neuralgia: A Narrative Review.Drug design, development and therapy · 2026Review
- Varicella-zoster virus infection of the central nervous system: clinical features and proteomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Article
- Concurrent Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistula and Varicella-Zoster Virus Meningoencephalitis Unmasked by Corticosteroid-Associated Deterioration: A Case Report on the Diagnostic Value of Serial mNGS.Current medical imaging · 2026Article
- Varicella-zoster virus-associated central nervous system infection in immunocompromised vs. immunocompetent herpes zoster patients: a comparative study.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Article
- A novel case of autosomal recessive CARD11 loss-of-function underlying impaired antiviral immunity and a review of literature.Clinical & translational immunology · 2026Article
- Herpesvirus-host interactions in neurological diseases: the immunogenetic role of HLA-E.Journal of virology · 2025Review
- Hemichorea as a primary manifestation of varicella-zoster virus neuroinfection in a child - a case report and review of literature.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025Review
- Sequelae of viral CNS infections including outcomes, mechanisms, and knowledge gaps.Npj viruses · 2025Review
- Distinct NK Cell Genetic Variants Are Associated With HSV-2 Versus VZV Infection of the CNS.Journal of medical virology · 2025Article
11 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purpose of reviewVaricella zoster virus (VZV) causes varicella, establishes latency, then reactivates to produce herpes zoster. VZV reactivation can also cause central nervous system (CNS) disease with or without rash. Herein, we review these CNS diseases, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment. RECENT
findingsThe most common CNS manifestation of VZV infection is vasculopathy that presents as headache, cognitive decline, and/or focal neurological deficits. VZV vasculopathy has also been associated with cerebral amyloid angiopathy and moyamoya syndrome. Rarely, VZV will produce a meningitis, encephalitis, cerebellitis, and myelopathy. Pathogenic mechanisms include direct VZV infection of affected tissue, persistent inflammation, and/or virus-induced hypercoagulability. Diagnosis is confirmed by the temporal association of rash to disease onset, intrathecal synthesis of anti-VZV antibodies, and/or the presence of VZV DNA in CSF. Most cases respond to intravenous acyclovir with corticosteroids. SUMMARY: VZV produces a wide spectrum of CNS disorders that may be missed as some cases do not have an associated rash or a CSF pleocytosis. Clinicians must be vigilant in including VZV in their differential diagnosis of CNS infections as VZV is a ubiquitous pathogen; importantly, VZV CNS infections are treatable with intravenous acyclovir therapy and corticosteroids.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.