Fulminating Infection with Herpes-Simplex Virus in Premature and Newborn Infants

Abstract

HERPES-simplex virus was first isolated from a "fever blister" in 1919 by Lowenstein.¹ This virus has been shown in more recent years to be the etiologic agent in acute infectious gingivostomatitis.^{2 3 4 5} In that these two entities are most commonly thought of when herpes simplex is mentioned, one tends to think of the virus more as a nuisance than as one causing fatal illness, although it is an occasional cause of encephalitis.⁶ Hass,⁷ however, in 1935, and, more recently, others^{8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17} reported cases of disseminated infection in premature and newborn infants. These investigators recorded a total of 19 cases with virus isolations . . .