Herpes simplex virus (HSV) pneumonia in a heart transplant: Diagnosis and therapy

Organ transplants are frequently complicated by viral infections. The period of maximum immunosuppression, 1 to 6 months posttransplantation, predisposes one to intracellular pathogens. The most common intracellular viral pathogens in transplant recipients include cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Cytomegalovirus and HSV are common viral pathogens in the early transplant period (0-1 month posttransplant). Although respiratory syncytial virus commonly presents in the late posttransplant period (≥6 months posttransplant), HSV pneumonia may be acquired in organ transplants by endogenous reactivation caused by immunosuppression or may be introduced from colonized oropharyngeal secretions into the lower respiratory tract during intubation in patients on ventilators. In ventilated patients without severe preexisting lung disease, HSV pneumonia presents with otherwise unexplained profound/prolonged hypoxemia or “failure to wean.” As other viral pneumonias, HSV pneumonia is characterized by profound hypoxemia requiring a high FIo₂, and a highly increased A-a gradient (≥30). These findings are indicative of an oxygen diffusion defect typical of noninfectious (eg, sarcoidosis) or infectious disorders (eg, HSV, cytomegalovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, Pneumocystis (carinii) jiroveci pneumonia) primarily affecting the interstitium of the lung. We present a case of HSV pneumonia in a heart transplant recipient and include a review of the clinical presentation, diagnostic findings, and therapy of HSV pneumonia.