Refractory reactivated VZV encephalitis with vasculopathy secondary to rituximab

We report a case of a 54 year old Sudanese lady admitted with dizziness, visual disturbance and collapse with nystagmus, ataxia, bilateral ptosis, and 3rd cranial nerve palsy on examination. CT and MRI scan of her head showed multiple areas of infarct. A lumbar puncture showed lymphocytosis and was...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nisha A. George, Melissa Haines, Vincent Lam, Julian Tang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-11-01
Series:Clinical Infection in Practice
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590170224000554
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850247076762353664
author Nisha A. George
Melissa Haines
Vincent Lam
Julian Tang
author_facet Nisha A. George
Melissa Haines
Vincent Lam
Julian Tang
author_sort Nisha A. George
collection DOAJ
description We report a case of a 54 year old Sudanese lady admitted with dizziness, visual disturbance and collapse with nystagmus, ataxia, bilateral ptosis, and 3rd cranial nerve palsy on examination. CT and MRI scan of her head showed multiple areas of infarct. A lumbar puncture showed lymphocytosis and was positive for VZV. She was initiated on treatment with IV acyclovir but during the course of her admission, she had recurrent strokes and maintained VZV DNA positivity on repeated lumbar punctures despite being on prolonged treatment. She was diagnosed with refractory varicella encephalitis secondary to varicella zoster virus reactivation, likely resulting from recent rituximab therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus and a mixed connective tissue disorder.
format Article
id doaj-art-921795d1bb62468fbdf15657c7301183
institution OA Journals
issn 2590-1702
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Clinical Infection in Practice
spelling doaj-art-921795d1bb62468fbdf15657c73011832025-08-20T01:59:01ZengElsevierClinical Infection in Practice2590-17022024-11-012410039510.1016/j.clinpr.2024.100395Refractory reactivated VZV encephalitis with vasculopathy secondary to rituximabNisha A. George0Melissa Haines1Vincent Lam2Julian Tang3Department of Infectious Disease, University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester Royal Infirmary, UKDepartment of Infectious Disease, University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester Royal Infirmary, UKDepartment of Radiology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester Royal Infirmary, UKClinical Microbiology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester Royal Infirmary, UK; Respiratory Science, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK; Corresponding author at: Clinical Microbiology, 5/F Sandringham Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Infirmary Square, Leicester LE1 5WW, UK.We report a case of a 54 year old Sudanese lady admitted with dizziness, visual disturbance and collapse with nystagmus, ataxia, bilateral ptosis, and 3rd cranial nerve palsy on examination. CT and MRI scan of her head showed multiple areas of infarct. A lumbar puncture showed lymphocytosis and was positive for VZV. She was initiated on treatment with IV acyclovir but during the course of her admission, she had recurrent strokes and maintained VZV DNA positivity on repeated lumbar punctures despite being on prolonged treatment. She was diagnosed with refractory varicella encephalitis secondary to varicella zoster virus reactivation, likely resulting from recent rituximab therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus and a mixed connective tissue disorder.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590170224000554
spellingShingle Nisha A. George
Melissa Haines
Vincent Lam
Julian Tang
Refractory reactivated VZV encephalitis with vasculopathy secondary to rituximab
Clinical Infection in Practice
title Refractory reactivated VZV encephalitis with vasculopathy secondary to rituximab
title_full Refractory reactivated VZV encephalitis with vasculopathy secondary to rituximab
title_fullStr Refractory reactivated VZV encephalitis with vasculopathy secondary to rituximab
title_full_unstemmed Refractory reactivated VZV encephalitis with vasculopathy secondary to rituximab
title_short Refractory reactivated VZV encephalitis with vasculopathy secondary to rituximab
title_sort refractory reactivated vzv encephalitis with vasculopathy secondary to rituximab
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590170224000554
work_keys_str_mv AT nishaageorge refractoryreactivatedvzvencephalitiswithvasculopathysecondarytorituximab
AT melissahaines refractoryreactivatedvzvencephalitiswithvasculopathysecondarytorituximab
AT vincentlam refractoryreactivatedvzvencephalitiswithvasculopathysecondarytorituximab
AT juliantang refractoryreactivatedvzvencephalitiswithvasculopathysecondarytorituximab