Congenital Herpes Simplex Virus in the Newborn: A Diagnostic Dilemma

Rupena Purewal1, Lisa Costello1, Srikanth Garlapati1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, West Virginia University, Morgantown.

Although congenital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is rare, it is associated with severe morbidity. We report a 36-week gestational age infant who presented with atypical skin lesions, presumably mitigated by exposure to maternal antiviral suppressive therapy. The initial absence of typical herpetic vesicles and lack of viral detection in skin lesions delayed the correct diagnosis, highlighting the importance of differentiating HSV from other neonatal rashes.