Herpes Viruses Flashcards
1
Q
Structure of herpes viruses
A
- ether-sensitive envelope
- regular icosahedral capsid composed of 162 capsomeres
- ds DNA
2
Q
Features of herpes viruses
A
- tissue culture - produces pocks on chorio-allantoic membrane
- produces characteristic giant cells & eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies (except EBV)
- viral envelope binds to cell receptors - fuses w cell memb - virus uncoats - within the nucleus, viral DNA replicates - transcribed - capsid protein - viral DNA packaged into capsids - glycoproteins incorporated into nuclear membrane to form viral envelope - virions bud out through nucleus - released at cell surface
- latency: pri inf - quiescent - reactivation - recurrent inf
3
Q
Examples of herpes viruses
A
- Herpes Simplex Virus
- HSV 1 - HHV1
- HSV2 - HHV2 - Varicella-Zoster Virus - HHV3
- Cytomegalovirus - HHV5
- Epstein-Barr Virus - HHV4
- Human Herpesvirus 6
- Human Herpes virus 7
- Human Herpesvirus 8
4
Q
Symptoms of HSV (2)
A
- Vesicular eruption - blister, raised lesion on skin w clear/serous fluids
- virus proliferates in infected cells - ballooning degeneration - lyses to fill vesicle w fluid of cytoplasmic & viral content - acidophilic intranuclear inclusions - Encephalitis - infection of brain tissue - meningitis, perivascular infiltration, neuronal degeneration
5
Q
Features of HSV
A
- early inclusion - Cowdry type A inclusion body
- pri infection - mostly subclinical or severe w rash lasting 3-4 wks
- non-immune - HSV travels along sensory nerves to sensory ganglia, persists lifelong in a latent state
- reactivation - virus travels down nerve fibres - lesions
6
Q
Clinical presentations of HSV1 (8)
A
- Acute Herpetic Gingivostomatitis - vesicles on buccal mucosa, gums ulcerate w grey slough, fever, lymphadenopathy, commonest pri disease, spread by kissing
- Herpes Labialis - cold sores, herpes febrilis, commonly reactivation in trigeminal ganglion, crop of vesicles at mucocutaneous junction of lips/near nose - painful ulcers
- Herpetic Whitlow - fingers - lesions w serous exudate, hands of HCW in contact w oral secretions
- Eczema Herpeticum - Kaposi’s varicelliform eruption, superinfection of chronic eczematous skin w extensive vesiculation, fever, mortality
- Keratoconjunctivitis - edema & vesicles of eyelids, cornea - dendritic keratitis, ulcers, opacification, blindness
- Aseptic Meningitis
- Acute Necrotising Encephalitis - rare but severe, sudden fever, confusion, headache, temporal lobe necrosis, increased morbidity with neurodeficits, CSF, PCR, brain biopsy - IF, isolation
- Disseminated Herpes - immunocompromised
7
Q
Clinical presentations of HSV2 (3)
A
- Herpes Progenitalis
- sexually transmitted vesiculoulcerative lesions of genitalia, fever, malaise, lymphadenopathy, recurrent lesions from reactivation in lumbar/sacral ganglia - Neonatal Herpes
- subclinical to severe, acquired from infected birth canal of mother (do caesarean), jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, thrombocytopaenia, large cutaneous vesicles - Cervical & Vulvular Carcinoma
- stronger association with HPV
8
Q
Immunology of HSV
A
- Newborns: passive maternal Abs lasting 6m
- HSV1 inf: acquired early in life, most have Abs by adulthood
- HSV2: acquired aft puberty, ~20% of sexually active adults have Abs
- neutralising Abs formed after pri inf do not prevent reactivation
9
Q
Diagnosis of HSV (2)
A
- Virus isolation
- specimens - vesicle fluid, skin swab, saliva, tears, corneal scraping, brain biopsy
- inoculation of cell cultures - CPE of rounded cells in 48-72h, NT/IF
- scrapings - multinucleated giant cells, Tzanck cell microscopy - Serology
- pri HSV inf - neutralising HSV IgM Ab
- significant rise in Ab titre 2-4 weeks after pri inf
- recurrent inf - high levels of existing Ab, no rise in titre
10
Q
Treatment of HSV (4)
A
- Acyclovir
- herpes encephalitis/generalised herpes (IV), genital herpes (oral/IV/topical), dendritic ulcers, cold sores, prophylaxis for immunocompromised
- little value for recurrent disease, give early in pri inf - Valaciclovir (valtrex) - greater bioavailability than acyclovir
- Idoxuridine, Trifluridine, Vidarabine (herpetic keratitis)
- Control - avoid infected sources/sites, vaccines still experimental
11
Q
Epidemiology & transmission of HSV
A
- infection most common in childhood, often asymptomatic
- transmission by close contact - HSV1 - kissing, HSV2 - sexually & perinatally
12
Q
Presentation of varicella-zoster virus
A
VZV causes
- Varicella (chicken pox) - primary illness
- Zoster (shingles) - recurrent manifestation of infection
13
Q
Symptoms of varicella
A
- incubation period 2-3weeks
- fever, crops of vesicles - pustules in waves, centripetal distribution (trunk>extremities)
- more severe in adults
- congenital varicella - transplacental, in neonates born to mothers w varicella in early preg
- neonatal varicella - child contracts from mother near time of delivery - little/no protection from maternal Abs, high mortality in severe disease
- previous infection - lifelong immunity to varicella, not zoster
14
Q
Complications of varicella (8)
A
- Skin superinfection (staph/strep - skin flora enters vesicles)
- Aspetic meningitis
- Neurological syndrome
- Post infectious encephalomyelitis (1 wk after rash)
- Pneumonia (cough, dyspnea, hypoxia, diffuse nodular infiltrate, pulm calcifiaction)
- Haemorrhagic (fulminating varicella) - thrombocytopenia, DIVC
- Arthritis
- Overwhelming varicella in immunosuppressed
15
Q
Treatment of varicella (5)
A
- Symptomatic - anti pyretic, anti pruritic
- VZIG prophylaxis in exposed immunocompromised
- Acyclovir - severe varicella pneumonia/haemorrhagic varicella
- Barrier nursing & isolation of immunosuppressed
- Live attenuated vaccine