New Viral Exanthems

Excerpt

The specific eruptions of the classical viral exanthems, rubeola, varicella, herpes simplex, herpes zoster, and rubella have allowed the diagnosis of these illnesses at the bedside and enabled rational predictions of the probable course in these patients. The relatively recent propagation of these agents in tissue culture has added the possibility of vaccine prophylaxis, or specific chemotherapy, or both.

However, during the summer and fall each year many children and some adults are seen by physicians with rashes that are clearly not one of the well-known eruptions. The same technology that has allowed the isolation of viruses from patients with