[Biotin-rich pseudoherpetic intranuclear inclusions. A diagnostic pitfall]

Area of Science:

• Pathology
• Cell Biology
• Gynecologic Pathology

Context:

• Pseudoherpetic nuclear inclusions, rich in biotin, are observed in endometrial epithelial cells.
• These inclusions can appear during pregnancy, postpartum, or with choriocarcinoma.
• They are also found in tumor cells of rare papillary thyroid carcinomas in young women.

Purpose:

• To highlight the potential for misdiagnosis of herpesvirus infections due to pseudoherpetic inclusions.
• To inform pathologists and clinicians about these specific cellular findings.
• To emphasize the need for careful morphological and immunocytochemical evaluation.

Summary:

• Biotin-rich pseudoherpetic nuclear inclusions can be mistaken for herpesvirus infections.
• These inclusions occur in endometrial cells (pregnancy, postpartum, choriocarcinoma) and thyroid cancer cells.
• They can lead to false positives in morphological, immunocytochemical, and in situ hybridization analyses.

Impact:

• Preventing misdiagnosis of viral infections in gynecologic and thyroid pathology.
• Improving the accuracy of diagnostic testing by recognizing these artifacts.
• Enhancing understanding of cellular inclusions in specific clinical contexts.