Mild form of acute herpes simplex encephalitis in childhood

We describe two patients, aged 3.5 years,and 15 years, with a mild form of herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE). The disease was characterized by convulsions and lymphocytic pleocytosis in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Involvement of herpes simplex virus (HSV) was established by antibody measurements in serum and CSF. Recovery was complete with no antiviral drug administration. It appears that scrutinized serological work-up would widen our concept of mild forms of HSE, with a better prognosis and complete recovery.