A Case of Herpes Zoster in a Normal 3 - Month - Old Infant / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

Herpes zoster in infancy occurs very rarely. And it may be the primary clinical manifestation of reactivation of latent varicella-zoster virus infection acquired transplacentally during intrauterine life. We report a case of herpes zoster in right T2 dermatome in a normal 3-month-old boy, The patient had no history of chickenpox and varicella vaccination. And his mother did not recall herself varicella infection, though she was exposured to chickenpox patient at 7 months of pregnancy. Laboratory findings demonstrated that varicella-zoster Ig-G and Ig-M antibodies were 0.94, 0.12 respectively ( EIA method, negative, 1.0) at the second day of vesicular eruption. Fourteen days after vesicular developing, the Ig-G and Ig M titers were rising to 1.92, and 0.47 respectively. His mother's varicella-zoster Ig-G and Ig-M antihodies were 2.64, 0.14 respectively. The baby received acyclovir treatment and the skin lesions healed rapidly without sequela. In this case, although the cause was unclear whether it was a mother-child infection, the patient was suspected subclinical intrauterine varicella-zoster virus infection during pregnancy.