Abstract :
[en] Background: Herpes zoster (HZ) in patients receiving tumor
necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists may be more severe and the
incidence seems increased. The influence of TNF antagonists
on varicella zoster virus (VZV) reactivation is unknown. Objective:
To prospectively search in a pilot study for VZV DNA
in sequential blood samples before and after infliximab administration.
Setting: University medical center. Subjects
and Methods: Blood samples of six patients with longstanding
and severe plaque psoriasis were taken on day 1 (before
infliximab administration) and on days 2, 7, 21 and 42 for the
determination of VZV viremia by ORF21 real-time polymerase
chain reaction. Patients with varicella, HZ and normal subjects
were included as controls. Results: None of the six patients
presented VZV viremia at any of the time points. Highload
viremia was present during varicella, low-load viremia in
some HZ patients and no viremia in the control patients. Limitations:
Small number of patients. Conclusions: In this pilot
study, infliximab did not reactivate VZV and did not induce
subclinical VZV viremia.
Scopus citations®
without self-citations
2
