Herpes zoster

n. (Pathology) zoster, shingles, acute viral disease in adults which is characterized by a painful skin rash on nerve pathways which is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox

"Shingles" redirects here, for other uses of the term, see Shingle. Herpes zoster, colloquially known as shingles, is the reactivation of varicella zoster virus, or VZV. The virus, one of the Herpesviridae group, leads to a group of painful blisters over the area of a dermatome. After an attack of chicken pox, the varicella-zoster virus retreats to nerve cells within the ganglion or the spinal cord, where it will lie dormant for several months up to several decades. Aging, stress, or disease will cause the varicella zoster virus to reactivate and reproduce, at which point it is known as herpes zoster. Once activated, the herpes zoster virus travels along the path of a nerve to the skin's surface, where it causes shingles.
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Herpes zoster n. See shingles. herpes zoster, n infection that tends to afflict adults caused by activation of the latent varicella zoster virus [more]Herpes zoster - Community and Resources

Noun
1. eruptions along a nerve path often accompanied by severe neuralgia
(synonym) zoster, shingles
(hypernym) herpes
2. a herpes virus that causes shingles
(synonym) herpes zoster virus
(hypernym) herpes, herpes virus
(hyponym) herpes varicella zoster, herpes varicella zoster virus

n. shingles