title: Use of a live attenuated varicella vaccine to boost varicella-specific immune responses in seropositive people 55 years of age and older: duration of booster effect.
abstract: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV)-specific T cell immunity was measured in 130 persons > or = 55 years of age 6 years after they received a live attenuated VZV vaccine. Circulating T cells, which proliferated in vitro in response to VZV antigen, were enumerated (VZV responder cell frequency assay). Six years after the booster vaccination, the VZV-responding cell frequency (1/61,000 circulating cells) was still significantly (P < .05) improved over the baseline measurements (1/70,000) and appears to have diminished the expected decline in frequency as these vaccinees aged (to 1/86,000). Ten herpes-zoster--like clinical events were recorded. Although the frequency of these events, approximately 1/100 patient-years, is within the expected range of such events for this age cohort, the number of lesions was small, there was very little pain, and there was no postherpetic neuralgia. These results support the development of a vaccine to prevent or attenuate herpes zoster.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver 80262, USA.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barber
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goldblatt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: LaFleur
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stinson
authors.forename: G O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Zerbe
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Hayward
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D019433:Chickenpox Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008875:Middle Aged; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000517:prevention & control; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D019433:Chickenpox Vaccine; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated