1/3. Herpes incognito.Can a microscopist suspect that telltale histopathologic changes of infection by herpesvirus (varicella, zoster, or simplex) are nearby even when no diagnostic epithelial changes are present in the sections being studied? Punch-biopsy specimens from three patients are presented; in two of those cases herpesvirus infection was not even a clinical consideration. The initial histopathologic sections from these patients did not show changes of herpesvirus infection, but step sections revealed focal diagnostic changes. Atypical lymphocytes were present in each of these cases. When atypical lymphocytes are found in concert with a pattern of an inflammatory-cell infiltrate that does not conform precisely to any well-defined entity, a microscopist should consider that the findings may represent changes near infection by herpesvirus. In addition, we reviewed every case we diagnosed as herpesvirus infection over an 18-month period and found that in just over two thirds of those specimens (32 out of 45 cases), atypical lymphocytes accompanied the characteristic epithelial changes induced by herpesvirus.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = herpesvirus (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/3. Histopathologic findings in cutaneous cytomegalovirus infection.When cytomegalovirus (CMV) involves the skin, viral inclusions are typically present within mesenchymal cells, e.g., endothelial cells, fibrocytes, and sometimes within inflammatory cells, e.g., macrophages, in contrast to infection in other organs in which inclusions are usually present within ductal epithelial cells. Two cases of cutaneous CMV are presented, one showing prominent findings within eccrine ductal epithelium and the other revealing mostly endothelial cells affected by CMV. Due to the range of cytologic changes induced by CMV observed in these cases, there seem to be early, fully developed, and late cellular changes brought about by CMV analogous to how herpesvirus (varicella, zoster, simplex) induces different changes depending on its stage of infection.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.16666666666667keywords = herpesvirus (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/3. Chronic varicella zoster infection mimicking a basal cell carcinoma in an AIDS patient.Chronic herpesvirus infections are common in patients infected with hiv. Atypical skin lesions secondary to long-standing varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection have been reported. We present a case of an AIDS patient with a chronic VZV infection that simulated a basal cell carcinoma. Histologic examination and immunohistochemistry confirmed the presence of the virus in the follicular epithelium. In the immunocompromised patient, biopsies should be performed on all suspicious lesions because medically-treatable infections may take on the appearance of malignancy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.16666666666667keywords = herpesvirus (Clic here for more details about this article) |