zoster

Examples of zoster in the following topics:

• Shingles

  • Shingles, the common name for herpes zoster, is caused by latent varicella zoster virus, the same virus which causes chickenpox in children.
  • Herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles, is a viral disease caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area on one side of the body, often in a stripe.
  • The initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes the acute (short-lived) illness chickenpox which generally occurs in children and young people.
  • Varicella zoster virus can become latent in the nerve cell bodies and less frequently in non-neuronal satellite cells of dorsal root, cranial nerve or autonomic ganglion, without causing any symptoms.
  • Once vaccinated, most children will not become infected with the varicella zoster virus if exposed, and subsequently will not develop shingles later in life.

• Viral Skin Diseases

  • Herpes zoster (or simply zoster), commonly known as shingles, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area on one side of the body, often in a stripe.
  • The initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes the acute (short-lived) illness chickenpox which generally occurs in children and young people.
  • Although the zoster rash usually heals within two to four weeks, some sufferers experience residual nerve pain for months or years, a condition called postherpetic neuralgia.
  • The earliest symptoms of herpes zoster, which include headache, fever, and malaise, are nonspecific, and may result in an incorrect diagnosis.
  • Antiviral drugs inhibit VZV replication and reduce the severity and duration of herpes zoster with minimal side effects, but do not reliably prevent postherpetic neuralgia.

• Double-Stranded DNA Viruses: Herpesviruses

  • Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is one of eight herpes viruses known to infect humans and other vertebrates.
  • It commonly causes chicken-pox in children and adults, and herpes zoster (shingles) in adults.
  • Various viruses from the Herpesviridae family seen using an electron micrograph Amongst these members is varicella-zoster (Chickenpox), and herpes simplex type 1 and 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2).

• Viral Pneumonia

  • Viruses that primarily cause other diseases, but sometimes cause pneumonia, include herpes simplex virus (HSV, mainly in newborns), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), measles virus, rubella virus, and cytomegalovirus (CMV, mainly in people with immune system problems).
  • Because of this, the best prevention against viral pneumonia is vaccination against influenza, adenovirus, chickenpox, herpes zoster, measles, and rubella.

• Dermatomes

  • Viruses that remain dormant in nerve ganglia, such as the varicella zoster virus that causes both chickenpox and shingles, often cause either pain, rash, or both in a pattern defined by a dermatome.
  • The rash of shingles is almost always restricted to a specific dermatome, such as on the chest, leg, or arm caused by the residual varicella zoster virus infection of the nerve that supplies that area of skin.

• Animal Viruses

  • Latent infections are common with other herpes viruses as well, including the varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox.
  • After having a chickenpox infection in childhood, the varicella-zoster virus can remain latent for many years and reactivate in adults to cause the painful condition known as "shingles" .
  • (a) Varicella-zoster, the virus that causes chickenpox, has an enveloped icosahedral capsid visible in this transmission electron micrograph.

• The Vocabulary Epidemiology

  • For example, varicella zoster virus causes chickenpox in the acute phase; after recovery from chickenpox, the virus may remain dormant in nerve cells for many years, and later cause herpes zoster (shingles).

• The TORCH Panel of Tests

  • The "other infections" included under the letter O include Coxsackievirus, Syphilis, Varicella-Zoster Virus, HIV, and Parvovirus B19.

• Replication of Double-Stranded DNA Viruses of Animals

  • At least five species of Herpesviridae – HSV-1 and HSV-2 (both of which can cause orolabial herpes and genital herpes), Varicella zoster virus (which causes chicken-pox and shingles), Epstein-Barr virus (which causes mononucleosis), and Cytomegalovirus – are extremely widespread among humans.
  • In total, there are 8 herpesvirus types that infect humans: herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2, varicella-zoster virus, EBV (Epstein-Barr virus), human cytomegalovirus, human herpesvirus 6, human herpesvirus 7, and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus.

• Genital Herpes

  • Among these drugs are: acyclovir, valacyclovir and famciclovir.Acyclovir is an antiviral drug used against herpes viruses, varicella-zoster, and Epstein-Barr Viruses.