• Paul Wurzer, Ashley Guillory, Daryousch Parvizi, Robert P Clayton, Ludwik K Branski, Lars-P Kamolz, Celeste C Finnerty, David N Herndon, and Jong O Lee.
• Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Hospitals for Children, Galveston, TX, USA; Division of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. Electronic address: wurzer_paul@gmx.at.
• Burns. 2017 Feb 1; 43 (1): 25-33.

ObjectiveThe contribution of human herpes viruses, including herpes simplex virus (HSV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and varicella zoster virus (VZV) to morbidity and mortality after burns remains controversial. This systematic review was undertaken to assess evidence of herpes virus-related morbidity and mortality in burns.Materials And MethodsPubMed, Ovid, and Web of Science were searched to identify studies of HSV, CMV, or VZV infections in burn patients. Exclusion criteria included: A level of evidence (LoE) of IV or V; nonhuman in vivo studies; and non-English articles. There was no limitation by publication date.ResultsFifty articles were subjected to full-text analysis. Of these, 18 had LoE between I-III and were included in the final review (2 LoE I, 16 LoE II-III). Eight had a prospective study design, 9 had a retrospective study design, and 1 included both.ConclusionsNo direct evidence linked CMV and HSV infection with increased morbidity and mortality in burns. Following burn, CMV reactivation was more common than a primary CMV infection. Active HSV infection impaired wound healing but was not directly correlated to mortality. Infections with VZV are rare after burns but when they occur, VZV infections were associated with severe complications including mortality. The therapeutic effect of antiviral agents administered after burns warrants investigation via prospective randomized controlled trials.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

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