RESUMO
A 34-year-old woman was admitted for chronic graft-versus-host disease ten months after an unrelated bone marrow transplantation. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia on day 5 of hospitalization was negative. Thrombocytopenia occurred on day 9. Laboratory findings revealed severe liver dysfunction on day 13. On day 14, the patient developed interstitial pneumonia and disseminated intravascular coagulation, and died from progressive respiratory failure. Multinucleated giant cells were found in the lung, liver, spleen, esophagus, pancreas and intestine obtained at autopsy. Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) was detected in the blood using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. CMV, herpes virus type 6 and Epstein-Barr virus were detected in the liver and lung with the PCR technique. We concluded visceral VZV infection was the main cause of her death because of her aggressive clinical course and the histology at autopsy. In this case, chronic GVHD and its immunosuppressive treatment resulted in her fatal VZV reactivation.