Herpes simplex type 2 virus encephalitis presenting as psychosis

Kalarickal J. Oommen, M.D.,

Peter C. Johnson, M.D.

C. George Ray, M.D.
Kalarickal J. Oommen, M.D.


Affiliations

Requests for reprints should be addressed to Dr. Peter C. Johnson, Department of Pathology, Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona 85724.

From the Departments of Neurology, Pathology and Pediatrics, Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona.


Accepted 20 January 1982.

Abstract


The current literature recognizes two antigenic types of herpes simplex virus, type 1 and 2. Type 1 is the most common cause of sporadic necrotizing encephalitis in the United States, with a mortality rate of 30 to 70 percent, and leaves various neurologic sequelae in the survivors. Herpes simplex virus type 2 has been recognized as an etiologic agent in fatal infections in neonates and a mild meningitis in adults, but its role in encephalitis in adults is less well known. We report a case of herpes simplex virus type 2 encephalitis with an analysis of four additional cases previously documented in the literature. Herpes simplex virus type 2 may cause more infections than is presently recognized, and we suggest that some cases of acute psychosis may, like in our case, represent herpes simplex virus type 2 encephalitis.

Click here for full article.

VIRUS ASSOCIATION TO COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

Schizophr Res. 2008 Dec;106(2-3):268-74. Epub 2008 Sep 17.
Antibodies to cytomegalovirus and Herpes Simplex Virus 1 associated with cognitive function in schizophrenia.

Shirts BH, Prasad KM, Pogue-Geile MF, Dickerson F, Yolken RH, Nimgaonkar VL.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment in the form of decreased working memory and executive functions has been recognized as a key deficit in schizophrenia. Neurotropic viruses have been associated with focal gray matter deficits in patients with schizophrenia. We evaluated whether such agents alter cognitive function in schizophrenia.

METHODS: The sample consisted of 329 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. We evaluated associations between exposure to selected agents (Herpes Simplex Viruses 1 and 2 (HSV1, HSV2 respectively) cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Toxoplasma gondii) and scores on the Trail Making Test (TMT), controlling for relevant variables.

RESULTS: Serological evidence of exposure to CMV was associated with impaired performance on TMT part A time to completion (p=0.044), a measure of visual search, working memory, and psychomotor speed. Both CMV and HSV1 were significantly associated with increased errors on TMT part B