Neurotropic herpesviruses, neural mechanisms and arteritis.

Cumulative evidence suggests that varicella-zoster virus (VZV) can infect walls of CNS arteries, causing stroke in man. We review observations relating infection with this neurotropic virus to the development of arteritis in the CNS and note evidence supporting the hypothesis that VZV spreads from ganglionic reactivation sites to the arterial wall by neural pathways. Problems relating to the pathogenesis of arteritis and experimental approaches to their solution are suggested.