Disseminated herpes simplex virus and varicella zoster virus co-infection in a patient with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

Abstract

Concomitant disseminated herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection is a rare event. We describe a case of disseminated HSV and VZV infection in an 80-year-old patient many years after splenectomy for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). This is the first case of disseminated HSV-1 and VZV infection with molecular evidence of the simultaneous presence of both viruses in two different body sites (the skin and cerebrospinal fluid). This adds to the three reports of patients developing cutaneous disseminated herpes zoster multiple years after splenectomy for ITP. Keywords: Disseminated herpes simplex virus, Disseminated varicella zoster virus, Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, Splenectomy