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Varicella Zoster Virus

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Acneiform Eruptions in Dermatology

Abstract

Varicella zoster virus causes two clinical syndromes. Chicken pox, or varicella, is a self-limiting disease of childhood characterized by a highly pruritic rash. Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a reactivation of the virus typically seen in adults. Heberden first distinguished these illness as separate entities in 1767 [1], and Osler emphasized the distinction in his book on clinical medicine [2]. Their relation was suggested by von Bokay in 1892 when he noted that children developed varicella after coming into contact with herpes zoster patients [3]. Weller et al. proved a common etiological agent [3–5], and Garland and Hope-Simpson were the first to propose a reactivation of latent varicella as the cause of herpes zoster [3]. In 1995, the FDA approved the first vaccine for the prevention of varicella, significantly changing the epidemiology of this disease [6].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 6655 Travis Street, Suite 600, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Rachel Gordon M.D.

  2. Department of Dermatology, The University of Texas at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Stephen Tyring M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A. & Whitney Lapolla M.D.

  3. Department of Dermatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Rana Mays M.D.

Authors
  1. Rachel Gordon M.D.
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  2. Stephen Tyring M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A.
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  3. Whitney Lapolla M.D.
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  4. Rana Mays M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel Gordon M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, USA

    Joshua Zeichner

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Gordon, R., Tyring, S., Lapolla, W., Mays, R. (2014). Varicella Zoster Virus. In: Zeichner, J. (eds) Acneiform Eruptions in Dermatology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8344-1_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8344-1_14

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