Fatal central nervous system infection with varicella-zoster virus in renal transplant recipients

Three renal transplant patients with culture-positive central nervous system infections resulting from varicella-zoster virus died of the virus infection. No finding predicting a poor outcome in these patients could be identified. Varicella-zoster infection in transplant recipients is a potentially fatal disease, and upon diagnosis should it be treated by (1) reduction in immunosuppression, and (2) initiation of either vidarabine or acyclovir as specific antiviral therapy.