ArticleVaccines2024
Varicella-Zoster Disease of the Central Nervous System in Immunocompetent Children: Case Series and a Scoping Review.
Article in Vaccines, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Clinical Characteristics and Determinants of Complications in Pediatric Herpes Zoster Requiring Hospitalization.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Review
- Herpes Zoster Oticus With Facial Palsy and Hearing Loss: A Case Report of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome in an Older Patient.Clinical case reports · 2025Article
- Metagenomic next-generation sequencing of cerebrospinal fluid: a diagnostic approach for varicella zoster virus-related encephalitis.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundVaricella-Zoster Virus (VZV) is characterized by its ability to enter a dormant state within the body. When the wild or vaccine virus reactivates, it can lead to herpes zoster (HZ), which infrequently manifests as a neuroinfection.
objectivesThe aim of the study was to analyze the clinical manifestations and outcomes associated with VZV reactivation in the CNS in immunocompetent children.
methodsWe searched medical databases for case reports using the keywords "zoster", "meningitis", "encephalitis", and "immunocompetent". The inclusion criteria were age below 18 years, any gender, race, and ethnicity, no features or history of immunodeficiency, and confirmation of VZV reactivation through the detection of VZV DNA in the CSF. Patients were categorized into two groups: children experiencing the reactivation of the wild virus and children with the vaccine strain virus.
resultsThe cohort included six children hospitalized in our hospital and 49 children reported in the literature. In 37 (67%), a wild-type virus was detected, while in 18 (33%), an infection was caused by the vaccine strain. There were no differences in the clinical presentation between the two groups. A typical rash was observed in 32 (58%) children. Approximately 41 of the 55 children (75%) received antiviral treatment. Four patients experienced complications.
conclusionsNeither a history of VZV immunization nor the absence of a skin rash can definitively exclude VZV meningitis. It is important to note that any seemingly healthy child, regardless of recognized risk factors, could develop HZ meningitis.
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