Question:
Shingles is caused by which of the following?
Shingles is caused by which of the following?
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It is the reactivation of the chickenpox virus.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Varicella-zoster virus
- Herpes simplex virus
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- None
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a painful vesicular skin rash that classically follows a dermatomal distribution.
Step 2: It results from reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) - the same virus that causes chickenpox during primary infection. After chickenpox resolves, the virus remains latent in the dorsal root ganglia and can reactivate later as shingles. This makes option (a) correct.
Step 3: Why not the others - herpes simplex virus causes cold sores and genital herpes, and CMV causes mononucleosis-like illness and disease in immunocompromised patients, neither of which is shingles.
Step 4: Therefore shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus.
Step 2: It results from reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) - the same virus that causes chickenpox during primary infection. After chickenpox resolves, the virus remains latent in the dorsal root ganglia and can reactivate later as shingles. This makes option (a) correct.
Step 3: Why not the others - herpes simplex virus causes cold sores and genital herpes, and CMV causes mononucleosis-like illness and disease in immunocompromised patients, neither of which is shingles.
Step 4: Therefore shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus.
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