Genetic variants and immune responses in a cohort of patients with varicella zoster virus encephalitis.

This study identifies a list of variants of pathogenic potential, which may serve as a platform for generating hypotheses for future studies addressing genetic and immunological factors associated with susceptibility to VZV encephalitis. Collectively, these data suggest that disturbances in innate sensing and autophagy pathways may predispose to VZV encephalitis.