Definition of Herpes zoster
Herpes zoster: Also called shingles, zona, and zoster. The
culprit is the varicella-zoster virus. Primary infection with this virus causes chickenpox
(varicella). At this time the virus infects nerves (namely, the dorsal root ganglia) where
it remains latent (lies low) for years. It can then be reactivated to cause shingles with
blisters over the distribution of the affected nerve accompanied by often intense pain and
itching.
Last Editorial Review: 3/26/1998 2:25:00 PMCommon Misspellings: herpies zoster
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