Ansari M.
Changing Patterns of Neonatal Herpes Encephalitis and current treatment guidelines
J Pak Med Assoc Dec 2003;53(12):603-7.
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Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are among the most commonly encountered infections in human beings. A pool of 30 million HSV infected patients exist in USA. Two types of HSV infections have been identified HSV-1, which usually causes orolabial disease, and HSV-2, which is associated more frequently with genital and newborn infections. Usually, HSV causes mild and selflimited disease of the mouth and lips or at genital sites. However, on occasion, the disease can be life threatening. Neonatal herpes infections occur in infants at a mean age of 14 days, but can happen up to four to six weeks after birth. Clinical manifestations of neonatal infection can be localized to the skin, eye or mouth (SEM) or to the central nervous system (CNS), such as encephalitis with or without skin lesions. They can also present as disseminated sepsis. Furthermore, in the immunocompromised host, severe infection has been encountered and is a source of morbidity. Even in the immunocompetent host, frequent recurrences, particularly those of the genital tract, can be debilitating. Because HSV does cause genital ulcerative disease, it is associated with an increased risk of acquiring a human immunodeficiency virus infection. This article will summarize the natural history of neonatal HSV encephalitis and will describe recent developments in neonatal HSV disease management.

Category: Neurology
Keywords: Encephalitus. Neonates. Meningitis. Brain Infections.

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