Herpes Zoster Manifestation in the Treatment of a Facial Scald Burn: A Case Report

Abstract

Infections are a major complication in burn patients. In particular, in immunocompromised patients, burn wounds are prone to infections due to destroyed cutaneous barriers and a weakened immune response. It is critical for physicians to monitor infections during burn treatment, since infections can disturb the healing process. It can be challenging to identify the causative microorganism and implement proper treatment for infected burn wounds. Bacterial infections such as impetigo are the most commonly reported, followed by fungal and viral infections. Human herpes virus is one of the most frequent viral infections that complicate burn patients' recovery. Cases of varicella-zoster virus (HHV-3) infection among pediatric burn patients or reactivation in major burn patients in intensive care units have been reported in the literature. Herein, we present a case where HHV-3 reactivation was promptly detected during the treatment of a facial scald burn.