Effectiveness of Early Antiviral Therapy in Disseminated Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2) with Fulminant Hepatic Failure.

BACKGROUND Liver failure in the neonatal population is a life-threatening complication and has a wide array of etiologies, including infectious, immune-mediated, metabolic, or drug-induced. Although neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) hepatitis only accounts for 1% of all acute liver failures, it has an extremely aggressive clinical course that carries a mortality rate of 85%. CASE REPORT We report a rare case of disseminated neonatal HSV-2 with late presentation associated with fulminant liver failure. The patient recovered without obvious neurologic deficits or need for liver transplant. CONCLUSIONS This case study emphasizes and promotes awareness of early recognition and appropriate clinical management of neonatal HSV infection, and its positive outcome.