# Mollaret's Meningitis: A Case Report of Recurrent Aseptic Meningitis

**Authors:** Fahim Barmak, James Issa, Danial Bajwa, Syed Hashim Ali Inam, Jason Adams, Justin Nolte, Paul Ferguson

PMC · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.81065 · 2025-03-24

## TL;DR

This case report describes a 40-year-old woman with Mollaret's meningitis, a rare condition linked to HSV-2, highlighting its challenges in diagnosis and treatment.

## Contribution

The paper adds a new clinical case to the literature, emphasizing diagnostic and therapeutic complexities of Mollaret's meningitis.

## Key findings

- The patient experienced multiple episodes of Mollaret's meningitis with typical symptoms like fever and meningeal irritation.
- The case underscores the need for timely diagnosis and intervention to manage the condition effectively.
- It highlights gaps in understanding the etiology and predisposing factors of the disease.

## Abstract

Benign recurrent meningitis, also known as Mollaret's meningitis, a rare form of recurrent aseptic meningitis, is often associated with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection, which is characterized by fever, headache, meningeal irritation, and sterility of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on examination. Although with clear diagnostic criteria, there are still many equivocal aspects of its pathogenesis and treatment. This paper presents a case report of a 40-year-old woman who experienced multiple episodes of this syndromic condition, highlighting its diagnostic challenges, clinical features, and treatment outcomes. The case reflects the importance of timely diagnosis and intervention in managing Mollaret's meningitis effectively. Furthermore, it sheds light on the complexities of its etiology and potential predisposing factors and the need for further research to better understand this condition.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** Mollaret's meningitis (MONDO:1030004)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** Mollaret's Meningitis (MESH:D008580), headache (MESH:D006261), Aseptic Meningitis (MESH:D008582), fever (MESH:D005334), Benign recurrent meningitis (MESH:D008577), herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection (MESH:D006561)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Figures

2 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12015995/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12015995