Ascending Myelitis in Association with Herpes-Simplex Virus

TWO distinct neurologic syndromes have been recognized in adults in association with infection with herpes-simplex virus (HSV).1,2 Herpetic encephalitis is a severe and often fatal infection, and herpetic meningitis is often clinically indistinguishable from other aseptic meningitides caused by various viruses. Detailed reports of progressive dysfunction of the spinal cord in association with herpetic infection, and without encephalitis, have not yet been published, although, in a recent communication, Craig and Nahmias mentioned a case of ascending myelitis and isolation of HSV Type 2 from vulvar lesions. Virologic cultures of the cerebrospinal fluid were negative.3 Case Report A 45-year-old woman was.