Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDInternal Medicine
Disseminated Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection Following a Live Attenuated Varicella Vaccine (Oka Strain) in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case Report
Abstract
A 77-year-old woman was being treated for rheumatoid arthritis with prednisolone, methotrexate, and iguratimod. The patient was administered a live-attenuated varicella vaccine (Oka strain) for herpes zoster prevention by a primary care physician. Four weeks later, a vesicular rash appeared on the body. The patient was treated with amenamevir, and the rash improved. Based on the pathological findings and viral genotyping, she was diagnosed with a vaccine-induced disseminated varicella-zoster virus infection. For herpes zoster vaccination, caution is warranted as some medical questionnaires for vaccination do not include glucocorticoid use or immunosuppressive therapy, and some primary care physicians administer live vaccines only.
Related
- Longitudinal Evaluation of Serum Varicella-zoster Virus Viral Load in a Woman with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Complicated by a Visceral Disseminated Varicella-zoster Virus Infection: A Case Report
- Establishing a human co-infection challenge study of Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) and live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) in older healthy adults: E xploring C o-infection with L ive Attenuated I nfluenza Vaccine and P neumococcu S in healthy old E r adults (ECLIPSE), a UK-based single-centre, single-blind randomised controlled trial
- Concurrent varicella and dengue infection in an adolescent female: diagnostic and clinical challenges in an endemic setting
- Case Report: Fatal varicella-zoster virus meningoencephalitis with Froin-like cerebrospinal fluid and hydrocephalus following pembrolizumab-containing chemoimmunotherapy.
- Delayed-Onset Malignant Hyperthermia With Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Following Successful Prior Anesthetic Use: A Case Report
BibTeX
@article{taniguchi2026disseminated,
title = {{Disseminated Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection Following a Live Attenuated Varicella Vaccine (Oka Strain) in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case Report}},
author = {Fuminori Taniguchi and Koji Kamiya and Naomi Nakano and Takeo Sato and Shotaro Yamamoto and Katsuya Nagatani and Yasuo Nagafuchi and Mayumi Komine and Junichi Sugai and Tetsushi Yoshikawa and Kojiro Sato},
journal = {Internal Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.2169/internalmedicine.7681-26},
url = {https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/advpub/0/advpub_7681-26/_article},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Disseminated Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection Following a Live Attenuated Varicella Vaccine (Oka Strain) in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case Report
AU - Fuminori Taniguchi
AU - Koji Kamiya
AU - Naomi Nakano
AU - Takeo Sato
AU - Shotaro Yamamoto
AU - Katsuya Nagatani
AU - Yasuo Nagafuchi
AU - Mayumi Komine
AU - Junichi Sugai
AU - Tetsushi Yoshikawa
AU - Kojiro Sato
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/11
JO - Internal Medicine
DO - 10.2169/internalmedicine.7681-26
UR - https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/advpub/0/advpub_7681-26/_article
AB - A 77-year-old woman was being treated for rheumatoid arthritis with prednisolone, methotrexate, and iguratimod. The patient was administered a live-attenuated varicella vaccine (Oka strain) for herpes zoster prevention by a primary care physician. Four weeks later, a vesicular rash appeared on the body. The patient was treated with amenamevir, and the rash improved. Based on the pathological findings and viral genotyping, she was diagnosed with a vaccine-induced disseminated varicella-zoster virus infection. For herpes zoster vaccination, caution is warranted as some medical questionnaires for vaccination do not include glucocorticoid use or immunosuppressive therapy, and some primary care physicians administer live vaccines only.
SN - 1349-7235
SN - 0918-2918
ER -