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How can viruses enter the epidermis and cause skin disease?
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skin disease
Visible alterations in the texture of the skin, such as rashes and hives, can be indicative of serious disease. For example, one of the first signs of Lyme disease is a circular rash in a bull's-eye pattern on the skin.
Viruses that are epidermotropic can enter the epidermis and cause skin disease through three primary pathways:1
- Surface entry: Viruses can invade the epidermis directly from the skin surface through minor abrasions, as seen in the development of viral warts.1
- Bloodstream: Viruses may reach the epidermis via the bloodstream through a process known as viremia, which is the mechanism behind infections like varicella (chickenpox).1
- Peripheral nerves: Certain viruses, such as those causing herpes zoster (shingles), travel through peripheral sensory nerves to reach the epidermis. In the case of shingles, the virus remains dormant in sensory nerves after an initial chickenpox infection and later translocates along nerve branches to the epidermis, resulting in a painful vesicular rash.1
Once these viruses invade the epidermis, they can cause various pathological changes, including cellular proliferation, hyperkeratosis, or the formation of blisters. The severity of these infections is often dictated by the state of the host's immune system.1