Varicella-zoster virus meningitis coincident with bacteremia caused by liver abscess: a case report

Hikaru Oe; Makoto Watanabe; Makoto Sasaki; Yuki Miyamoto; Nobunaga Okada; Tasuku Matsuyama; Bon Ohta

doi:10.1007/s13365-022-01086-z

Varicella-zoster virus meningitis coincident with bacteremia caused by liver abscess: a case report

J Neurovirol. 2022 Dec;28(4-6):606-608. doi: 10.1007/s13365-022-01086-z. Epub 2022 Sep 16.

Authors

Hikaru Oe¹, Makoto Watanabe², Makoto Sasaki², Yuki Miyamoto², Nobunaga Okada², Tasuku Matsuyama², Bon Ohta²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Emergency Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kaji-cho 465, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan. nhikaru@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp.
² Department of Emergency Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kaji-cho 465, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan.

PMID: 36112241
DOI: 10.1007/s13365-022-01086-z

Abstract

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) meningitis is sometimes associated with herpes zoster, which is also associated with various other infectious diseases. However, there are limited case reports of VZV meningitis with concomitant infectious diseases. Herein, we report a unique case of VZV meningitis concomitant with a pyogenic liver abscess. VZV meningitis was associated with herpes zoster ophthalmicus, Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia, and liver abscess. When VZV meningitis is suspected, clinicians should be aware of its relatively rare epidemiology, nonspecific presentation, and many background risks shared with other infections and should never omit thorough examinations to rule out other infectious causes.

Keywords: Bacteremia; Liver abscess; Meningitis; Varicella-zoster virus.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Bacteremia* / complications
Bacteremia* / drug therapy
Chickenpox*
Herpes Zoster* / complications
Herpes Zoster* / drug therapy
Herpesvirus 3, Human
Humans
Liver Abscess* / complications
Meningitis* / complications