Varicella-Zoster Virus Reactivation Following Acute Babesiosis in an Immunocompromised Patient: A Case Report

Immunocompromised states pose a significant risk factor for both the reactivation of latent viral infections and for increased susceptibility to tick-borne infections. While Lyme disease, transmitted by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, has been associated with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) reactivation, an association between babesiosis, a protozoan infection transmitted by Ixodes ticks that invades erythrocytes, causing hemolysis and systemic infection, and herpes zoster has not been well described in the scientific literature. This case of a 69-year-old female illustrates how impaired innate and adaptive immunity during an acute tick-borne parasitic infection may contribute to VZV reactivation.