This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Higher cell-mediated immunity to herpes zoster may be linked to reduced disease severity
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
There may be a correlation between higher levels of Varicella-zoster virus cell-mediated immunity at the onset of herpes zoster infection and reduced herpes zoster severity and less post-herpetic neuralgia, according to findings published recently.
Results also demonstrated that there may be an association between higher antibody titers and increased herpes zoster severity and incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia.
The study involved 981 elderly patients who developed herpes zoster during a vaccine efficacy trial. There were 321 participants who received the vaccine and 660 participants who received placebo.
There were 1,362 participants whose Varicella-zoster virus -specific immune responses were measured and who did not develop herpes zoster during the trial. Among that group, 682 had received the vaccine and 680 had received placebo.
The researchers evaluated cell-mediated immunity using Varicella-zoster virus responder cell frequency and interferon-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot. They measured antibodies using Varicella-zoster virus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against affinity-purified Varicella-zoster virus glycoproteins.
The researchers observed an association between Varicella-zoster virus cell-mediated immunity at the onset of herpes zoster and reduced morbidity due to herpes zoster. There was no correlation between Varicella-zoster virus glycoproteins antibody titers and reduced herpes zoster morbidity.
Antibody titers were highest in participants with severe herpes zoster three weeks after onset of the infection. Compared with participants who received the vaccine, there was a slight increase in these titers at the three-week mark among patients who received placebo. There was also a slight increase in antibody titers among older individuals.
The response of Varicella-zoster virus cell-mediated immunity to herpes zoster was similar in vaccine and placebo recipients. Demographic characteristics or antiviral therapy use did not impact this response, except in responder cell frequency at the onset of the virus, which decreased with age.
In cases when it was possible to compare responses to the vaccine and herpes zoster, Varicella-zoster virus cell-mediated immunity values were similar, but antibody titers were lower, according to the results.
Weinberg A et al. J Infect Dis. 2009;200:1068-1077.