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Med Clin North Am 2021 Jul;105(4):783-797

Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 510 20th Street South, FOT Suite 858, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA. Electronic address:

This evidence-based review highlights cutaneous infections of bacterial, viral, and fungal origin that are frequently encountered by clinicians in all fields of practice. With a focus on treatment options and management, the scope of this article is to serve as a reference for physicians, regardless of field of specialty, as they encounter these pathogens in clinical practice. Read More

Am Fam Physician 2021 03;103(5):305-306

Saint Louis University Southwestern Illinois Family Medicine Residency, O'Fallon, IL, USA.

Case Rep Dermatol Med 2020 30;2020:6695342. Epub 2020 Dec 30.

Department of Dermatology and Venerology, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.

Haemorrhagic crusted lesions over pre-existing pemphigus vulgaris erosions should arouse suspicion of Kaposi varicelliform eruption (KVE). Immediate treatment with antivirals helps to prevent mortality and morbidities. Here, we report a case of a 67-year-old male who developed haemorrhagic crusted lesions on pre-existing pemphigus lesions during his hospital stay and obtained almost 90% resolution of cutaneous lesions of Pemphigus vulgaris as well as Kaposi varicelliform eruption within 2 weeks of acyclovir treatment along with the continuation of systemic steroids. Read More

Dermatol Ther 2020 11 9;33(6):e14500. Epub 2020 Nov 9.

Department of Dermatovenereology, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Kralovske Vinohrady University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.

Actas Dermosifiliogr (Engl Ed) 2021 Jan 25;112(1):71. Epub 2020 Sep 25.

Servicio de Dermatología Médico-Quirúrgica y Venereología, Hospital General Universitario de Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, España.

Indian J Dermatol 2020 Jul-Aug;65(4):304-306

Department of Dermatology, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.

Crusted scabies is a rare and extremely contagious infestation by . Kaposi's varicelliform eruption (KVE) refers to herpes simplex virus infection superimposed on pre-existing dermatosis such as atopic dermatitis, Darier's disease, and pemphigus. We report a case of KVE superimposed on crusted scabies in a middle-aged woman. Read More

Cutis 2020 Jun;105(6):E38-E41

Department of Dermatopathology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kansas City, USA.

Turk J Pediatr 2020 ;62(3):514-519

Department of Pediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Health Sciences University Dr. Sami Ulus Maternity and Children Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.

Background: Eczema herpeticum (EH) is an acute disseminated viral infection that develops in the presence of an existing skin lesion, often on the ground of atopic dermatitis (AD). Morbidity and mortality of EH can be minimized by starting antiviral therapy at the earliest time in diagnosis.

Case: Herein we report five infants diagnosed with EH in the course of AD treatment. Read More

Cutis 2020 03;105(3):132-136

Division of Dermatology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois, USA.

Many pediatric skin conditions can be safely monitored with minimal intervention, but certain skin conditions are emergent and require immediate attention and proper assessment of the neonate, infant, or child. We review the following pediatric dermatology emergencies so that clinicians can detect and accurately diagnose these conditions to avoid delayed treatment and considerable morbidity and mortality if missed: staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS), impetigo, eczema herpeticum (EH), Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), infantile hemangioma (IH), and IgA vasculitis. Read More

Cutis 2019 Nov;104(5):295-296

Department of Dermatology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA.

Eczema herpeticum has been well described in the setting of atopic dermatitis (AD) and other dermatoses. We present the case of a 2-month-old infant boy with cutaneous herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection within existing diffuse infantile seborrheic dermatitis. Providers should be aware that cutaneous HSV can be confined to a seborrheic distribution and may represent underlying epidermal dysfunction secondary to seborrheic dermatitis. Read More

Clin Rev Allergy Immunol 2020 Aug;59(1):1-18

Laboratoire Inflammation Tissus Epithéliaux et Cytokines EA 4331, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease in the world. AD is a complex pathology mainly characterized by an impaired skin barrier, immune response dysfunction, and unbalanced skin microbiota. Moreover, AD patients exhibit an increased risk of developing bacterial and viral infections. Read More

Cureus 2019 Oct 14;11(10):e5907. Epub 2019 Oct 14.

Surgery, Burn Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.

Familial benign pemphigus, or Hailey-Hailey disease (HHD), is a rare (1 in 50,000), benign, autosomal dominant cutaneous disorder that causes a painful rash and blistering commonly occurring in the intertriginous folds. Despite having a good prognosis, there is no cure for HHD and the disease can be quite debilitating to the quality of life. The complexity of HHD can be compounded by superimposed eczema herpeticum (EH) or Kaposi's varicelliform eruption, which is caused by a viral infection occurring in preexistent cutaneous conditions. Read More

Pediatr Infect Dis J 2020 04;39(4):263-266

From the Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) predisposes to viral skin infections, such as eczema herpeticum (EH), and to bacterial skin infections, such as those caused by Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and group A streptococcus (GAS). This study evaluated clinical features of EH and its frequency of codetection with SA or GAS in children hospitalized for presumed AD skin infection.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed clinical data for children ≤18 years of age admitted to a large hospital system for AD with presumed skin infection from January 2004 to December 2018. Read More

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2020 May 30;34(5):1074-1079. Epub 2020 Jan 30.

Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.

Background: Eczema herpeticum (EH) is a disseminated viral infection of eczematous skin disease with the herpes simplex virus. Knowledge on clinical characteristics, risk factors and recurrent disease is limited. Our aim was to better define clinical characteristics and risk factors for EH and especially for recurrent EH. Read More

Eur J Dermatol 2019 Oct;29(5):564-565

Dpt of Dermatology, University of Franche Comté EA3181, and University Hospital, Besançon, France.

Clin Epigenetics 2019 08 23;11(1):122. Epub 2019 Aug 23.

University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA.

Background: Although epigenetic mechanisms are important risk factors for allergic disease, few studies have evaluated DNA methylation differences associated with atopic dermatitis (AD), and none has focused on AD with eczema herpeticum (ADEH+). We will determine how methylation varies in AD individuals with/without EH and associated traits. We modeled differences in genome-wide DNA methylation in whole blood cells from 90 ADEH+, 83 ADEH-, and 84 non-atopic, healthy control subjects, replicating in 36 ADEH+, 53 ADEH-, and 55 non-atopic healthy control subjects. Read More

Dermatol Surg 2020 08;46(8):1127-1129

Department of Dermatology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.

Allergy 2020 01 2;75(1):226-229. Epub 2019 Oct 2.

Department of Dermatology and Allergy, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany.

Kaohsiung J Med Sci 2019 Oct 7;35(10):646-647. Epub 2019 May 7.

Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Dermatol Online J 2019 Apr 15;25(4). Epub 2019 Apr 15.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, Texas.

Darier disease (DD), also known as keratosis follicularis or Darier-White disease, is a rare autosomal dominant genodermatosis that presents as hyperkeratotic, warty papules affecting the seborrheic and intertriginous areas. Patients with DD are at risk of secondary infections including the rare complication of Kaposi varicelliform eruption (KVE), a widespread viral infection most commonly caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV). Darier disease with secondary KVE can lead to widespread systemic infection and death. Read More

Dermatol Ther 2019 03 7;32(2):e12826. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Section of Dermatology, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.

Arch Argent Pediatr 2019 02;117(1):e59-e62

Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital Juan Ramón Jiménez, Huelva. España.

Hand-foot-mouth disease can present atypically, including forms with more numerous lesions and/or morphologically different from the classic presentation. It may even mimic other viral diseases. We present the case of a 2-year-old child previously diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, who presented with papules and umbilicated vesicles affecting the perioral area and limbs, predominantly in pressure areas, as well as in areas with previous atopic lesions. Read More

J Fam Pract 2018 Dec;67(12):783-785

San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, San Antonio, Texas, USA.

The patient described a history of "recurrent impetigo," which led to an uncommon diagnosis. Read More

J Immunother Cancer 2018 11 19;6(1):122. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

Division of Hematology/Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.

Background: Immune-directed therapies have become front-line therapy for melanoma and are transforming the management of advanced disease. In refractory cases, multi-modal immunoncology (IO) approaches are being utilized, including combining immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) with oncolytic herpes viruses. Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is the first genetically modified oncolytic viral therapy (OVT) approved for the treatment of recurrent and unresectable melanoma. Read More

Tunis Med 2018 May;96(5):328-329

Am J Dermatopathol 2018 Dec;40(12):920-923

Summit Medical Group, Morristown, NJ.

Patients with mycosis fungoides experience considerable morbidity and mortality from secondary bacterial and viral infections. Staphylococcus aureus, β-hemolytic streptococci, herpes simplex virus, and herpes zoster virus remain the most common infectious pathogens in this group of patients. With depressed cellular immunity and diminished skin barrier as the main precipitating risk factors, immunocompromised patients can often present with an atypical presentation of a common dermatologic condition. Read More

Exp Clin Transplant 2020 04 28;18(2):252-254. Epub 2018 Jun 28.

>From the Department of Infectious Diseases,Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi, Pakistan.

A 43-year-old male patient developed varicella virus (chickenpox) 4 months after receiving a liver transplant. Within 5 days of complete recovery, he presented with widespread cutaneous vesicular eruptions involving the face, back, abdomen, and upper extremities. Tzanck smear showed ground glass inclusions in the nuclei of multinucleated giant cells, suggestive of viral pathology. Read More

J Invest Dermatol 2018 12 2;138(12):2540-2549. Epub 2018 Jun 2.

Department of Dermatology, Fukuoka University Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan; Department of Dermatology, Fukuoka University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.

Destruction of epidermal barrier function associated with atopic dermatitis or Darier's disease often causes severe secondary skin infections. Patients with skin barrier disorders often repeatedly acquire Kaposi varicelliform eruption, which is caused by herpes simplex virus, but the underlying mechanisms and effective preventive methods have yet to be found. Viral infection through an impaired epidermal barrier can be prevented by enhancing innate immunity and/or inhibiting viral entry. Read More

J Paediatr Child Health 2018 Jun;54(6):702

J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2018 Mar;48(1):36-39

C Finlow, Noble's Hospital, Strang, Douglas IM4 4RJ, Isle of Man, Email:

Eczema herpeticum is a dermatological emergency causing a mortality of up to 10% if untreated. It frequently presents in a localised form and rarely disseminates via haematogenous spread with pulmonary, hepatic, ocular and neurological manifestations. Although it commonly appears on a background of atopic dermatitis, many other dermatological conditions have been described preceding this disease. Read More