Vesiculo-bullous eruptions due to virus infection as seen in Jamaica

ABSTRACT

The object of this project was to present cases of vesiculo-bullous eruptions due to virus infection as seen in Jamaica, and to outline laboratory procedures in diagnosis especially in relation to isolation in human thyroid tissue culture and differential diagnosis based on egg and animal inoculations and serological techniques. Previously, diagnoses were mainly based on clinical and epidemiological observations due to a lack of virus diagnostic facilities. This paper presented the nature of the aetiological agents as proven by isolation and identification unusual manifestations of such viral agents, and the utilisation of a common system for isolation and relatively simple procedures for identification. Cases studied included Eczema vaccinatum due to vaccinia and to herpes simplex, vesiculo bullous eruptions on the lips, buccal mucosa, tongue and anterior fauces due to herpes simplex, herpes genitalis in adult males, uveitis and conjunctivitis as sequelae of severe herpes stomatitis, epidemic and sporadic cases of varicella, fatal case of varicella in an adult male, herpes zoster involving the opthalmic branch of trigeminal nerve, T4 and T5 on chest and dorsum and sacral plexus, auto-inoculation of arm and vulva with vaccinia in infant (AU)