Recurrent varicella in an immunocompetent woman

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection causes 2 distinct disease processes. Primary VZV infection results in varicella (chickenpox), a common generalized eruption, and subsequent reactivation of VZV classically results in herpes zoster (shingles), which presents as a unilateral, dermatomal eruption. Although a single VZV infection typically confers protection against its reactivation, recurrent varicella rarely is reported, particularly in immunocompetent patients. We present the case of a 52-year-old black woman with an intact immune system who demonstrated 3 VZV infections.