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(CC BY-NC 4.0).
Background: The updated treatment of acute and chronic zoster infections encloses antiviral, painkillers neuropathic
drugs for postherpetic neuralgia, anti-inflammatory compounds and vaccines. The persistent viability of the virus into
the posterior horns of the medulla, makes its virulence highly resistant to the current protocols and suggests a
reconsideration of an old bacteriotherapy enhancing the innate immunity and direct phagocytosis of the virus at any
stage: the inactivated Cutibacterium acnes, formerly Corynebacterium parvum. The aim of this study is to counter
Zoster neuropathic pain with Corynebacterium parvum.
Materials and Methods: A total of 300 patients were treated using C.parvum injection (2.5 cc of Parvulan added
with 0.3 ml 1% lidocaine), in the subcutaneous deltoid area at any stage, affected by primary dermatomal zoster (64
cases), by genital Zoster (16 cases), by first infection (34 cases), by frequently relapsing primary zoster (14 cases),
by Zoster neuralgia (46 cases), by Zoster infection in patients with cancer (32 cases), by cancer under chemotherapy
[62 cases (46 men and 16 women)], by Zoster infection in severe immunodepression (28 cases), by Zoster
encephalomyelitis (4 cases).
Results: Chronic neuralgia was successfully alleviated in most treated patients in a few weeks after the treatment.
Conclusion: in conclusion in the setting of zosteridae family side to the most updated pharmacology, we still
recommend to take into account also an old historical weapon such as the C. parvum bacteriotherapy, because of its
safe and effective direct antiviral activity.