Herpes simplex lymphadenitis

Localized herpetic lymphadenitis is an extremely uncommon complication of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. The authors report two cases of localized herpetic lymphadenitis, both showing well-circumscribed areas of necrosis containing cells with diagnostic intranuclear inclusions. Electron microscopic studies in both cases revealed characteristic viral particles, and in situ hybridization studies using a herpes simplex genomic probe demonstrated HSV DNA in both specimens. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that the cells containing the inclusions were stromal, not lymphoid, cells. Combining the current two cases with the six well-documented cases previously reported in the literature, seven of the eight cases of HSV lymphadenitis have developed in inguinal lymph nodes, with four occurring in patients with previously or subsequently diagnosed hematopoietic malignancies, including both patients in the current series.