T wo different forms of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) immunizations are available. Children are vaccinated with Varivax to reduce the risk of primary infection with VZV, and Zostavax is given to reduce the risk of VZV reactivation in adults. In a large prospective trial of adults older than 60 years, vaccination with Zostavax was shown to decrease the incidence of herpes zoster by 51.3% as well ...

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a human α-herpesvirus that causes varicella (chickenpox) during primary infection and zoster (shingles) upon reactivation. Like other viruses, VZV must subvert the intrinsic antiviral defenses of differentiated human cells to produce progeny virions. Accordingly, VZV inhibits the activation of the cellular transcription factors IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and ...

Latency within the nervous system is a characteristic feature of herpesviridae infection. It is reactivated by triggering factors such as UV exposure, stress, and trauma. Simultaneous reactivation of herpes simplex and herpes zoster is uncommon, however, an observation provably explained by differences in the triggering mechanism. Concurrent reactivation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varice...

BACKGROUND A phase 2 trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a topical antiviral, sorivudine, as an adjuvant to valacyclovir for the treatment of acute herpes zoster. METHODS In this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, 25 patients were treated with either sorivudine or placebo cream. All patients began 7 days of valacyclovir treatment on day 3. Zoster lesion swab sampl...

UNLABELLED Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a human neurotropic alphaherpesvirus and the etiological agent of varicella (chickenpox) and herpes zoster (HZ, shingles). Previously, inoculation of monkeys via the subcutaneous, intratracheal, intravenous, or oral-nasal-conjunctival routes did not recapitulate all the hallmarks of VZV infection, including varicella, immunity, latency, and reactivatio...

Fifty-four patients with herpes zoster were treated with valacyclovir. On treatment days 1, 8, and 15, pain was scored and saliva examined for varicella-zoster virus (VZV) DNA. VZV DNA was found in every patient the day treatment was started and later disappeared in 82%. There was a positive correlation between the presence of VZV DNA and pain and between VZV DNA copy number and pain (P <.0005)...

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccines induce immunity against childhood chickenpox and against shingles in older adults. The safety, efficacy, and widespread use of VZV vaccines suggest that they may also be effective as recombinant vaccines against other infectious diseases that affect the young and the elderly. The generation of recombinant VZV vaccines and their evaluation in animal models a...

Competitive polymerase chain reaction was used to quantitate latent varicella-zoster virus (VZV) DNA in human trigeminal ganglia. Ganglionic DNA from five subjects was amplified with oligonucleotide primers specific for VZV gene 28. Two of the samples were also analyzed with primers specific for VZV gene 62. Our results indicated that there are 6 to 31 copies of the VZV genome in every 100,000 ...

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a neurotropic human alphaherpesvirus that causes varicella upon primary infection, establishes latency in multiple ganglionic neurons, and can reactivate to cause zoster. Live attenuated VZV vaccines are available; however, they can also establish latent infections and reactivate. Studies of VZV latency have been limited to the analyses of human ganglia removed a...

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the cause of chickenpox and shingles, is a pathogen in retreat following the introduction of mass vaccination in the United States in 1995. The live attenuated Oka vaccine, which is safe and immunogenic, gives good protection against both varicella and zoster in the short to medium term. It has undoubtedly been highly effective to date in reducing all forms of vari...