Early diagnosis of virus-caused vesicular rashes by immunofluorescence on skin biopsies. I. Varicella, zoster and herpes simplex.
The use of immunofluorescence (IF) for the rapid identification of varicella-zoster (V-Z) and herpes simplex (HS) antigen in frozen sections of biopsies of early non-vesicular skin lesions was investigated. Direct IF, using fluorescein- isothiocyanate- conjugated immuoglobulin (FITC Ig) of paired human anti-V-Z sera and FITC-conjugated negative and positive anti-V-Z-monkey Ig, yielded specific fluorescence of virus antigen in all 14 varicella cases investigated and in 10/11 zoster cases. In contrast, indirect IF, using paired human anti-zoster sera and a sheep anti-human Ig FITC, was not satisfactorily specific, since staining with the anti-human Ig FITC alone also yielded fluorescence of infected cells in some cases. In 6/8 cases of HS infection, specific fluorescence of virus antigen was obtained by direct IF, using FITC-conjugated negative and positive guinea-pig anti-HS Ig. Because of the often predominant distribution of virus antigen to the corium and the skin appendages, punch biopsies are apparently better than scraped material, at least in the prevesicular stage.
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000276:immunology; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology; D013048:Specimen Handling; D013997:Time Factors
D000956:Antigens, Viral