An Ambiguous Rash in an 11-Year-Old Boy

Daniel R. O’Neill, Rachel A. Reedy

Abstract


The varicella zoster virus is known for two distinct disease states, the primary varicella zoster virus and herpes zoster. Children who are vaccinated for varicella have a lower incidence of developing herpes zoster than those who have acquired the varicella virus. Regardless, vaccinated children are still at risk for developing herpes zoster and the diagnosis should be considered in patients with a clinical presentation of vesicular and erythematous lesions. An 11-year-old boy, with no significant past medical history, presented to his primary care physician for a rash on his lower back. A thorough history of possible contact exposures was ruled out and further review showed that the boy was up to date on all vaccines. The combination of his physical symptoms and appearance of the rash prompted a culture to be sent to the lab. These results returned positive for varicella zoster DNA on the corresponding polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and proper treatment was initiated. The manifestation of herpes zoster can vary in appearance and does not always present in a standard dermatomal pattern. When clinical diagnosis seems vague, pattern recognition of the distinct vesicular rash shared with a high index of suspicion due to associated symptoms should prompt the culturing of a vesicle for diagnosis of herpes zoster via DNA PCR. Early detection will help hasten appropriate treatment and education to reduce further spread of the virus.





Int J Clin Pediatr. 2019;8(1):19-21
doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/ijcp334


Keywords


Herpes zoster; Varicella zoster; Virus

Full Text: HTML PDF
 

Browse  Journals  

     

Journal of Clinical Medicine Research

Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism

Journal of Clinical Gynecology and Obstetrics

World Journal of Oncology

Gastroenterology Research

Journal of Hematology

Journal of Medical Cases

Journal of Current Surgery

Clinical Infection and Immunity

Cardiology Research

World Journal of Nephrology and Urology

Cellular and Molecular Medicine Research

Journal of Neurology Research

International Journal of Clinical Pediatrics

 

 

 

 

 

International Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, quarterly, ISSN 1927-1255 (print), 1927-1263 (online), published by Elmer Press Inc.                     
The content of this site is intended for health care professionals.
This is an open-access journal distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted
non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Creative Commons Attribution license (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
CC-BY-NC 4.0)


This journal follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals,
the Committee on Publication Ethics (
COPE) guidelines, and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

website: www.theijcp.org   editorial contact: editor@theijcp.org
Address: 9225 Leslie Street, Suite 201, Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4B 3H6, Canada

© Elmer Press Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the published articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the editors and Elmer Press Inc. This website is provided for medical research and informational purposes only and does not constitute any medical advice or professional services. The information provided in this journal should not be used for diagnosis and treatment, those seeking medical advice should always consult with a licensed physician.