Background: A primary characteristic of Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) infections is its ability to remain latent in sensory neurons and reactivate later in life. Symptoms of HSV typically present at or near the point of entry. Each of the HSV subtypes is distinguishable from one another via their mode of transmission in addition to symptoms. [...]

Background: Neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are one of the most clinically challenging infections of the newborn period because of the often subtle presentation and devastating consequences of a missed diagnosis. The availability of HSV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing has led to widespread use of both HSV testing and empiric therapy but guidelines [...]

Case Presentation: A 64-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on peritoneal dialysis (PD) presented with altered mental status. She reported “seeing monsters when I close my eyes,” “bouncing off the walls like I was drunk,” and slurring her speech at home. Her family added that she was highly functional at baseline, lived independently and [...]

Case Presentation: A 19-year-old, 22-week pregnant woman with no significant past medical history presented with cough, fever, myalgia, abdominal pain and diarrhea for two weeks. On admission, she was febrile to 101.2 F and tachycardic with HR of 110-120 bpm. Physical exam revealed right upper quadrant (RUQ) tenderness upon palpation and one vesicular genital lesion. [...]

Case Presentation: A 35 year-old undomiciled male with a history of epilepsy and recurrent aseptic meningitis was brought in to the emergency department after being found unresponsive. Initial vital signs were notable for temperature of 102˚F. He was intubated in the emergency department and a lumbar puncture was done consistent with a bacterial meningitis (WBC [...]

Case Presentation: Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) infection often presents in a disseminated pattern in immunocompromised hosts. Immunocompetent hosts typically present with genital or oral lesions or have HSV-2 or varicella-zoster virus (VZV) that follows along a dermatomal pattern. Here we present a herpetiform rash, which was culture positive for HSV-2 on biospy, that disseminated across [...]

Case Presentation: A 32-year-old female with a past medical history of migraines, anxiety, and depression presented to the emergency department with complaints of bilateral leg pain and urinary retention. Two weeks prior, she started experiencing urinary frequency and was started on nitrofurantoin at an urgent care center due to concern for a UTI. She also [...]

Case Presentation: A 30 year old male with history of recently diagnosed AIDS presented with altered mental status, fevers and 3 witnessed tonic-clonic seizures. His family reported that he had been complaining of progressive headaches and photophobia for several weeks and that he was diagnosed with AIDS. He was admitted 1 month prior for rash [...]

Case Presentation: A 60 year-old women with hypertension, coronary artery disease, COPD and gastroesophageal reflux, presented with one-day history of fever, witnessed tonic clonic seizure, confusion and lethargy. She reported headache for a month with back pain. Vital signs revealed fever 40 °C, tachycardia 128/min, tachypnea 32/min, and oxygen saturation of 100% on 2 L [...]

Case Presentation: A 24 year old pregnant female at 23 weeks gestation presented with complaints of fevers and fatigue. She was treated symptomatically and discharged home. Two weeks later, the patient developed encephalopathy, profound liver failure, and thrombocytopenia, resulting in induction of labor and loss of the infant. She was subsequently intubated and developed shock [...]