title: Varicella zoster virus antibody titers after intravenous zoster immune globulin in neonates, and the safety of this preparation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  1) To assess the safety of intravenous varicella zoster virus hyperimmune globulin G (IV-VZVIG) in neonates; 2) measure varicella zoster virus-specific IgG antibody (VZVIG) changes in newborn IV-VZVIG recipients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) neonates with varicella exposure were given 1 ml/kg (43 International Units (IU)/kg) Varitect IV-VZVIG. Serum VZVIG titers were assayed in neonatal recipients 0, 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 d after IV-VZVIG. Also, serum samples for VZV-IgM antibody determinations were obtained at 4 wk post-infusion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No varicella developed in the 18 infants. Infusion of 1 ml/kg (43 IU/kg) IV-VZVIG was generally safe. The IV-VZVIG dose resulted in seroconversion of a non-immune newborn. Five infants had low basal VZVIG titers, and two of them had a 0.6-log10 increase at 24 h post-infusion. Neonatal VZVIG titers (mean+/-SEM in log(10)) before IV-VZVIG and after by 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 d were 2.22+/-0.15, 2.17+/-0.17, 2.02+/-0.12, 0.87+/-0.2, 1.09+/-0.19, 2.33+/-0.07, and 2.16+/-0.1, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  One ml/kg (43 IU/kg) IV-VZVIG was generally safe. Our neonatal mean VZV-immune status did not significantly increase after the 1 ml/kg (43 IU/kg) IV-VZVIG dose, although no varicella developed and it caused a VZV-specific seroconversion.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico. tmdesierra@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murguía-de-Sierra
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Villa-Guillén
authors.forename: Dina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Villanueva-García
authors.forename: Antide
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Juárez-Chávez
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Leistikow
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007275:Injections, Intravenous
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007106:Immune Sera; C030799:varicella-zoster immune globulin