Pityriasis rosea - a virus-induced skin disease? An update

Abstract

Pityriasis rosea (PR) is an acute, inflammatory skin disease of unknown cause. Clinical and experimental findings indicate an infectious etiology of PR. Various infectious agents including viruses have been proposed as causative agents and their presence in PR samples has been extensively investigated. Recently, human herpesvirus 7 was linked to PR, but contradictory findings have been reported by various investigators. Here, we describe the features of PR that suggest an infectious cause and review the data from viral studies in PR reported in the literature. In addition, we present a pathogenetic model of PR which may be helpful in planning and evaluating studies for the search of a putative PR-associated virus. Based on the current state of knowledge, none of the known viruses could, so far, be conclusively associated with PR.

Pityriasis rosea evidence for and against an infectious aetiology

“…Repeated attempts [52,[63][64][65] to isolate a virus by inoculating lesional biopsy specimens, blood, pharyngeal and rectal swabs with various cell lines failed to confirm a cytopathic effect and failed to demonstrate viral antigens by immunofluorescence assays [66]. Two studies by electron microscopy [52,67] also reported absence of viral particles from lesional biopsy specimens of patients with PR.…”

Borrelia Infection and Pityriasis Rosea

“…Clinical and experimental findings suggest the pathogenic role of an infectious agent (1,2). Viral and bacterial causes have been proposed, but convincing answers have not yet been found (3). A link between Borrelia burgdorferi and PR was suggested in the 1990s and a roseolar eruption has been reported as a clinical manifestation of the second stage of Lyme disease (LD) (4,5).…”

Ungewöhnliche Kombination von klinischen Morphen bei einem jungen Mann

“…Diese Beobachtung ließ sich spä-ter jedoch nicht mehr bestätigen. In keiner der Studien konnte im Verlauf ein Anstieg von HHV-7-IgM-und HHV-7-IgGAntikörpern beobachten werden, was bei einer akuten Infektion oder Reinfektion zu erwarten gewesen wäre [4].…”