PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “acyclovir”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Parenteral acyclovir therapy for herpesvirus infections in man.

Acyclovir is a new antiviral agent which is highly active against herpesviruses in vitro and in laboratory animals. Twenty-three cancer patients with cutaneous and/or systemic herpes zoster or herpes simplex infections were treated with parenteral acyclovir. All had received previous specific treatment for their malignant disease and ten had undergone bone-marrow transplantation. The drug seemed to arrest the progress of the infections and was most effective when given early. Although two patients showed transient increases in blood-urea, possibly the result of acyclovir, the drug was remarkably non-toxic in the doses used.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2026

Study of prescription-indication of antivirals for herpesviruses in a Colombian population: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: To describe the utilization patterns and therapeutic indications of antivirals used for herpesvirus infections in Colombian patients. RESEARCH DESIGN/METHODS: A cross-sectional study on the use of antivirals for treating outpatients with herpesviruses between November 2023 and January 2024 in a Colombian population database. The Micromedex® database was used to identify Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indications, off-label uses, and potentially inappropriate indications. RESULTS: A total of 14,816 individuals were included (median age:53.0 years [IQR:35.0-65.0]; 60.5% women). Acyclovir was the most frequently prescribed antiviral (oral:77.3%; topical:43.4%). Overall, 56.1% received oral therapy only, 25.2% combined oral and topical therapy, and 18.7% topical therapy only. FDA-approved indications accounted for 29.1% of use (herpes zoster), off-label use for 26.9% (mainly prophylaxis in immunocompromised patients), and potentially inappropriate use for 25.3% (primarily topical treatment of herpes zoster). Acyclovir use (OR:5.93; 95%CI:4.60-7.64) and specialist care (OR:2.17; 95%CI:1.73-2.71) were associated with off-label use. CONCLUSIONS: Antiviral prescribing for herpesvirus infections in a group of patients in Colombia is largely driven by acyclovir, with a substantial proportion of off-label and potentially inappropriate use, particularly involving topical therapies for herpes zoster. These findings highlight significant gaps in adherence to evidence-based recommendations and underscore the need for targeted interventions to optimize prescribing practices.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

Rashless varicella-zoster virus encephalitis diagnosed by metagenomic next-generation sequencing: two case reports.

BACKGROUND: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) can cause a range of central nervous system (CNS) infections, but early diagnosis is difficult when typical skin rash is absent. Rashless VZV encephalitis may present with nonspecific clinical, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and neuroimaging findings and can mimic autoimmune encephalitis, primary central nervous system lymphoma, or other disorders. We report two cases of rashless VZV encephalitis diagnosed by CSF metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), with subsequent neurological complications. CASE PRESENTATION: Case 1 was a 68-year-old man admitted with fever, seizures, and impaired consciousness. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed multifocal abnormal signals. CSF analysis revealed marked pleocytosis and elevated protein levels, and CSF cytology showed suspected atypical lymphocytes, leading to early consideration of autoimmune encephalitis and primary central nervous system lymphoma. CSF mNGS detected VZV, and rashless VZV encephalitis was diagnosed. The patient improved after intravenous acyclovir combined with a short course of dexamethasone. On day 45 after disease onset, follow-up MRI showed a new acute cerebral infarction adjacent to the posterior horn of the left lateral ventricle. Recurrent CSF pleocytosis and persistent protein elevation suggested possible VZV-associated vasculopathy. After repeated antiviral treatment, he improved again, and no recurrence was observed during more than 3 years of follow-up. Case 2 was a 74-year-old man admitted with fever, low back pain, vomiting, and impaired consciousness. Brain MRI showed multifocal abnormal signals, and CSF analysis revealed marked inflammatory changes. CSF mNGS detected VZV, supporting the etiological diagnosis of rashless VZV encephalitis. The patient improved after intravenous acyclovir combined with a short course of dexamethasone. On day 14 after disease onset, he developed urinary retention, impaired defecation sensation, and bilateral lower-limb weakness, suggesting possible lumbosacral nerve root or cauda equina involvement. Suspected VZV-related Elsberg syndrome was considered. His urinary and bowel dysfunction recovered at 2 months after disease onset. CONCLUSIONS: Rashless VZV encephalitis may be diagnostically challenging because early clinical, CSF, and neuroimaging findings are nonspecific. CSF mNGS can support etiological diagnosis, and careful follow-up is needed to detect delayed vascular and lumbosacral nerve root complications.

Humans↗
PubMed2025

Repression of varicella zoster virus gene expression during quiescent infection in the absence of detectable histone deposition.

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a human-specific herpesvirus that establishes latency in peripheral neurons. The only transcripts detected in infected human trigeminal ganglia (TG) obtained shortly after death correspond to the VZV latency-associated transcript (VLT) and associated VLT-ORF63 splice variants. In vitro studies showed that VLT-ORF63 is translated into a protein (pVLT-ORF63) that induces VZV transcription. The mechanisms that lead to this restricted gene expression and the transition to lytic replication remain unknown, partly due to the difficulty of working with human neurons. In this study, we addressed whether the neuroblastoma-derived cell line SH-SY5Y could serve as a model to investigate the mechanisms that lead to repression of VZV gene expression followed by reactivation. VZV productively infected differentiated SH-SY5Y (dSH-SY5Y) whereas incubation with acyclovir (ACV) inhibited virus replication and induced a progressive repression of the virus. Upon removal of ACV there was production of viral particles in a subset of cells, while others contained non-replicating VZV genomes and VLT-containing transcripts for at least 20 days post-infection (dpi). Exogenous expression of VLT-ORF63 induced productive infection, suggesting that the non-replicating and repressed genomes remained functional. Interestingly, histone deposition was undetectable at VZV genomes in quiescently infected dSH-SY5Y cells, pointing to a potential novel mechanism leading to VZV repression in this neuronal setting.

Humans↗