Background: Cutaneous viral infections are increasing in recent years, particularly in immunocompromised patients.
Objective: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) provides a rapid and helpful tool that can be applied to confirm the diagnosis of specific viral infections that may be difficult to diagnose with certainty using routine microscopy alone.
Methods: Several immunostains that are useful in histopathology have been reviewed and tested in cutaneous samples of viral infections. Emphasis is placed on new stains and novel uses of existing stains.
Results: This article is an up-to-date overview of the potential uses of IHC in the histopathologic diagnosis of cutaneous viral infections by parvoviruses, polyomaviruses, poxviruses, paramyxoviridae, picornaviridae, retroviruses, and filoviruses.
Limitations: Specific monoclonal antibodies are commercially available only for some members of these virus families.
Conclusions: IHC may assist dermatopathologists to appropriately diagnose viral infections by parvoviruses, polyomaviruses, poxviruses, paramyxoviridae, picornaviridae, retroviruses, and filoviruses.
*Associate Professor of Dermatology and Dermatologist (Dr Molina-Ruiz), Chairman and Professor of Dermatology (Dr Requena), Department of Dermatology;
†Pathologist, Department of Pathology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma, Madrid, Spain;
‡Dermatopathologist, Dermatophatologisches Gemeinschaftslabor, Friedrichshafen, Germany; and
§Director of Dermatopathology and Professor of Dermatology, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
Reprints: Luis Requena, MD, Department of Dermatology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Avd. Reyes Católicos 2, Madrid 28040, Spain (e-mail: lrequena@fjd.es).
All authors and staff in a position to control the content of this CME activity and their spouses/life partners (if any) have disclosed that they have no financial relationships with, or financial interests in, any commercial organizations pertaining to this educational activity.
