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A Primary Neuron Culture System for the Study of Herpes Simplex Virus Latency and Reactivation
Published on: April 2, 2012
Herpes simplex virus type 2 recurrent meningitis (Mollaret's meningitis): a consideration for the recurrent
Rumi Sato1, Mitsuyoshi Ayabe, Hiroshi Shoji
1First Department of Internal Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Asahi-machi 67, Kurume 830-0011, Japan.
Abstract:
We report a 44-year-old Japanese woman with herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 recurrent meningitis (Mollaret's meningitis). The diagnosis was confirmed by nested polymerase chain reaction in her cerebrospinal fluid, but the patient's conventional HSV antibodies by complement fixation, neutralizing test or enzyme immunoassay showed low titres with low lymphoproliferative response. Several similar cases are discussed. Although the reason for the recurrent pathogenesis is uncertain, our report suggests that the low immune response including immune evasion may be involved in the pathogenesis of HSV type 2 recurrent meningitis. For this patient, long-term suppressive and patient-initiated therapies were conducted to prevent the recurrence of meningitis.
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