Ganciclovir—Have We Established Clinical Value in the Treatment of Cytomegalovirus Infections?

Excerpt

A decade ago, the first report of parenteral antiviral therapy for severe and life-threatening herpesvirus infections, describing the value of vidarabine therapy for biopsy-proven herpes simplex encephalitis, appeared in the literature (1). Subsequently, with the introduction of acyclovir, a selective and specific inhibitor of viral replication, major advances were achieved in the management of herpesvirus infections, especially herpes simplex (2-7) and varicella-zoster (8-10) virus infections. Novel approaches to preventing and suppressing herpes simplex virus infections have evolved, including intravenous administration of acyclovir after bone marrow transplantation to prevent viral reactivation (11), and suppressive therapy for frequently recurring genital herpes infections