BACKGROUND Currently Norway does not recommend universal varicella vaccination for healthy children. This study assessed susceptibility to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in the Norwegian population for the first time. METHODS A national convenience sample of residual sera was tested for anti-VZV IgG by ELISA. We estimated age-specific seropositivity to VZV, controlling for sex and geographical ...

Pooled monoclonal antibodies to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) were used as "detector" antibodies in a four-phase enzyme immunofluorescence assay for determination of immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgA, and IgG antibodies to VZV. Polyclonal antisera specific for heavy chains of human IgM, IgA, and IgG were employed as "capture" antibodies on the solid phase. The antibody class capture assay (ACCA) for V...

OBJECTIVE To describe varicella disease in infants since implementation of the varicella vaccination program in the United States. PATIENTS AND METHODS From 1995 to 2008, demographic, clinical, and epidemiologic data on cases of varicella in infants were collected prospectively through a community-based active surveillance project. We examined disease patterns for infants in 2 age groups: 0 t...

BACKGROUND Varicella and herpes zoster are both caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection or reactivation and may lead to complications associated with a (severe) societal burden. Because the epidemiology of VZV-related diseases in the Netherlands remains largely unknown or incomplete, the main objective of this study was to study the primary care incidence, associated complications and ...

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is one of the eight herpesviruses that infects humans. The virus causes two diseases, varicella (chickenpox) and zoster (shingles) (1). Varicella is primarily an illness of children, although as many as 5% of adults in the United States may be susceptible. Zoster is caused by reactivation of latent VZV infection in sensory ganglia, which resulted during the attack o...

Both varicella and herpes zoster that are caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV), are associated with central nervous system disease. Since the introduction of polymerase chain reaction, the opportunity to detect the virus in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has improved dramatically. As a result VZV is diagnosed as one of the most common viruses causing CNS disease and it has become evident that this...

Background Varicella is a viral disease which can be easily prevented through vaccination. In European Union the surveillance systems for varicella and herpes zoster are highly heterogeneous or absent and seventeen countries have recommendations on varicella vaccination. In Romania varicella vaccination is not included in the National Immunization Program (NIP), although a major number of cases...

Because of the severe complications that may result from varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection following renal transplantation (Tx), transplanted varicella-susceptible children exposed to varicella are typically given varicella zoster immunoglobulin (VZIG) as prophylaxis or are admitted and treated with parenteral acyclovir if VZIG prophylaxis fails. As both VZIG and hospitalization are costly...

Herpes zoster (Shingles; Zona) is an acute infectious skin disease that is caused by the reactivation of varicella zoster virus (VZV). After the initial infection (chickenpox) or vaccination, the virus remains inactive or latent in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG); when decreasing cell mediated immunity (CMI) occurs, the virus is reactivated from a latent phase to a lytic phase and frequently repl...