[Isolation of viruses in the cerebrospinal fluid in a case of acute varicella meningo-encephalitis].

The authors report a case of severe, life-threatening, meningo-encephalitis occurring in a young nonimmunodepressed adult with varicella. The demonstration of a cytopathogenetic effect of his cerebrospinal fluid and of immunoglobulins M specific to the varicella-zoster virus was in favour of an acute, directly viral-dependent encephalitis rather than an immune-mediated leucoencephalitis, as used to be commonly admitted. This is an incitement to use acyclovir in such cases, the effect of which contributes to reinforce this pathogenic hypothesis.