[Granulomatous vasculitis--an uncommon manifestation of herpes simplex infection of the central nervous system].

A man died at the age of 50 years, following tentative clinical diagnosis of centrotemporal brain tumour. Strongly pronounced, extended, partially necrotized haemorrhagic inflammation of the leptomeninx, considerably thickened and reaching into cerebral tissue above, was recorded from the cerebral basis on post-mortem examination. The spinal leptomeninx was involved in the inflammatory process. Severe exudative and primary productive pseudotuberculous inflammation was the histological finding, although tuberculous origin could not be confirmed by bacteriological culturing. Polymerase chain reaction with subsequent southern-blot hybridization revealed Herpes simplex virus Type I as the cause of inflammation.