Prior antibiotic use linked to risk of subsequent Herpes zoster infection: PLOS ONE
UK: Prior use of antibiotics raises the risk of subsequent herpes zoster infection, is the conclusion drawn from a recent study published in PLOS One.
The researchers observed a strong association between the first antibiotic prescribed ten years ago and herpes zoster infection risk in younger patients aged 18 to 50. Given the wide range of individual responses to viral infection, the study findings are essential; any indirect effect of antibiotics on the immune response may be specifically significant.
The effect of antibiotics on the human microbiome is established correctly now, but there needs to be more clarity on their indirect impact on the related immune response. The plausible association of Herpes zoster involving reactivation of previous varicella-zoster virus infection with prior antibiotic use may suggest a potential link with the immune response.
Considering the above, David Armstrong, Affiliation School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom, and colleagues aimed to determine the effect of antibiotics on the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus. The authors, therefore, conducted a case-control study comparing the antibiotic prescriptions of patients with a diagnosis of Herpes zoster (HZ) and those without it.
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