title: Chronic varicella-zoster virus skin lesions in patients with human immunodeficiency virus are related to decreased expression of gE and gB.
abstract: The pathogenesis of chronic, verrucous varicella-zoster virus (VZV) cutaneous lesions in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons is unknown. It has been hypothesized that these lesions are due to an altered pattern of virus gene expression. Immediate early and late (L) gene expression in five chronic verrucous VZV lesions, four full-blown herpes zoster vesicular lesions in HIV-infected persons, and eight vesicular herpes zoster lesions in immunocompetent individuals was semiquantitatively assessed immunohistochemically using specific antibodies to the IE63, gE (L), and gB (L) proteins. All patients had evidence of IE63 expression in keratinocytes; however, gE expression was either weak or absent in keratinocytes of three verrucous lesions, and gB was either weak or absent in two. These results suggest that chronic VZV skin lesions are associated with diminished gE and gB expression. It is inferred that the VZV behavior in keratinocytes may vary from a latency-like state to a fully developed, productive infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatopathology, Institute of Pathology, University of Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Nikkels
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rentier
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Piérard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C056913:glycoprotein E, varicella-zoster virus