Transmission of varicella-zoster virus originating from a patient with localized herpes zoster: Implications for infection control?

摘要

A 55-year-old male farmer was admitted to our department with fatigue, loss of appetite, low-grade fever, and generalized skin rash of 48 hours duration. The lesions had begun as macules and papules on the face and were rapidly followed by vesicles on the face, trunk, and extremities. The family history was unremarkable, but his mother had localized herpes zoster 20 days before to his admission, which had been treated with valacyclovir 1000 mg three times daily for 7 days with no complications. The patient had alcoholic cirrhosis (Child-Pugh score of 10 with large varices and moderate ascites), which had been treated with spiro-nolactone 50 mg/day and propranolol 40 mg/day over the last few years; however, he denied any alcohol consumption during the past year.