Pneumonia caused by varicella infection is a serious and severe complication of the disease when it occurs in adults. We report one case of a varicella pneumonia in a 41 year-old non-immunocompromised man. They were admitted to hospital for acute respiratory failure, not requiring intensive care, associated with exanthema. Thoracic imaging revealed bilateral and diffuse alveolar-interstitial opacities in both lung fields. Thrombocytopenia, hepatic cytolysis and an increase in lacticodeshydrogenase were noted. The patients made a full recovery with anti-viral therapy and oxygen.