TY - JOUR
T1 - Increase in Adult Patients with Varicella Zoster Virus–Related Central Nervous System Infections, Japan
AU - Yoshikane, Ayami
AU - Miura, Hiroki
AU - Shima, Sayuri
AU - Matsunaga, Masaaki
AU - Ishimaru, Soichiro
AU - Higashimoto, Yuki
AU - Kawamura, Yoshiki
AU - Kozawa, Kei
AU - Yoshikawa, Akiko
AU - Ueda, Akihiro
AU - Ota, Atsuhiko
AU - Watanabe, Hirohisa
AU - Mutoh, Tatsuro
AU - Yoshikawa, Tetsushi
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All rights reserved.
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - An increase in the number of herpes zoster patients has been reported since universal varicella immunization was introduced, perhaps because of reduced opportunities for varicella patients to experience the natural booster effect caused by reexposure. We investigated recent trends of varicella zoster virus (VZV)–related central nervous system (CNS) infections at a university hospital in Japan. We enrolled patients with suspected CNS infection during 2013–2022 and tested cerebrospinal fluid samples by real-time PCR for DNA from 7 human herpesviruses. VZV DNA was the most commonly detected in 62 (10.2%) of 615 patients. Kulldorff’s circular spatial scan statistics demonstrated a significant temporal cluster of patients with VZV-related CNS infections during 2019–2022 (p = 0.008). Among persons with such infections, the percentage with aseptic meningitis was significantly higher during 2019–2022 (86.8%), when the temporal cluster of cases occurred, than during 2013–2018 (50.0%) (p = 0.0029).
AB - An increase in the number of herpes zoster patients has been reported since universal varicella immunization was introduced, perhaps because of reduced opportunities for varicella patients to experience the natural booster effect caused by reexposure. We investigated recent trends of varicella zoster virus (VZV)–related central nervous system (CNS) infections at a university hospital in Japan. We enrolled patients with suspected CNS infection during 2013–2022 and tested cerebrospinal fluid samples by real-time PCR for DNA from 7 human herpesviruses. VZV DNA was the most commonly detected in 62 (10.2%) of 615 patients. Kulldorff’s circular spatial scan statistics demonstrated a significant temporal cluster of patients with VZV-related CNS infections during 2019–2022 (p = 0.008). Among persons with such infections, the percentage with aseptic meningitis was significantly higher during 2019–2022 (86.8%), when the temporal cluster of cases occurred, than during 2013–2018 (50.0%) (p = 0.0029).
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U2 - 10.3201/eid3012.240538
DO - 10.3201/eid3012.240538
M3 - Article
C2 - 39592249
AN - SCOPUS:85210410187
SN - 1080-6040
VL - 30
SP - 2476
EP - 2482
JO - Emerging Infectious Diseases
JF - Emerging Infectious Diseases
IS - 12
ER -
