Pulmonary Herpes Reactivation in Critically Ill Patients

High herpes simplex virus loads in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were associated with increased 14-day in-hospital mortality.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 are highly prevalent. The initial infection with either one is followed by a lifelong latent phase. HSV reactivation in immunocompetent people usually causes only mild symptoms. In immunocompromised patients, however, reactivation can cause pneumonia, with a high mortality rate. Recent reports have indicated that HSV reactivation can worsen outcomes in critically ill patients as well.

To investigate the epidemiology of HSV reactivation and the effect of such reactivation on outcomes in critically ill patients, researchers in the Netherlands retrospectively determined HSV-1 and HSV-2 loads in 521 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples from 462 hospitalized patients. The patients were divided into three g…

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Pulmonary Herpes Reactivation in Critically Ill Patients

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Reviewing Author