Varicella zoster in hospital personnel: skin test reactivity to monitor susceptibility.
An outbreak of chickenpox, involving three patients and one nurse on a pediatric ward, necessitated rapid identification of susceptible employees in conjunction with standard epidemiologic intervention in order to prevent spread to other high-risk patients. Of 46 hospital personnel 15 (33%) gave a negative or unknown history of prior disease. Response to a varicella-zoster skin test was compared with antibody determination as measured by fluorescent antibody to membrane antigen. Correlation of these two screening methods was absolute. Of 46 hospital personnel four (9%) were susceptible to infection (negative skin test and antibody less than 1:4) requiring their removal from the ward. All those with positive histories for prior disease with the virus and 11/15 (73%) with negative or unknown histories were immune as indicated by both tests. A readily available varicella zoster skin test would be an extremely useful epidemiologic tool for screening hospital personnel.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D012882:Skin Tests
D000914:Antibodies, Viral