Clinical Information

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is the etiological agent of varicella and herpes zoster. Varicella (chicken pox) is a mild, highly infectious disease which occurs in hosts (usually children) without immunity. Zoster (shingles) is the recurrent form of the disease, occurring in adults previously infected with VZV.

An important aspect of the control of varicella-zoster virus infection is the prevention of contact between susceptible individuals and those with active infection. Antibody to varicella-zoster has been determined by Completion Fixation (CF), immunodiffusion, neutralizing antibody, or fluorescent antibody techniques, including the fluorescent-antibody-membrane-antigen (FAMA) assay. The FAMA assay has proven to be very sensitive in determining low levels of VZV antibody and immune status. However, it has the disadvantage of requiring tissue culture and is performed only in specialized laboratories. The performance of enzyme immunosorbent assay (EIA) procedures is comparable to the FAMA assay.