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Viral Infections of the Central Nervous System: A Case-Based Review

Cecilia Big, MD^*,, Lora A. Reineck, MD and David M. Aronoff, MD^*,

^* Division of Infectious Diseases and
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health System Ann Arbor, Michigan

Corresponding Author: David M. Aronoff, MD, 4618 Medical Sciences Building II, 1150 West Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5623, Tel: 734-647-1786, Fax: 734-763-4168, Email: daronoff{at}umich.edu

Three patients with viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS) were evaluated on an inpatient infectious diseases consultation service within a two-week period. These cases, caused by herpes simplex virus, varicella zoster virus and enterovirus, highlight the importance of viral pathogens in causing debilitating infections of the CNS and provide examples of the utility of molecular diagnostics in evaluating patients with encephalitis and meningitis. The importance of antiviral therapy is particularly underscored by these cases, as is the variability in response of patients to such agents.

Key Words: Acyclovir • Encephalitis • Herpes infections • Meningitis