title: Prevention of VZV infection in immunosuppressed patients using antiviral agents.
abstract: Antiviral agents play a key role in the prevention and treatment of varicella zoster virus (VZV) disease in immunosuppressed patients. Randomized trials show that aciclovir is effective in preventing VZV reactivation disease; however, no consensus exists on dose, duration and patient population for its use. The recent shortage of VZV-specific immunoglobulin has generated renewed interest in the use of antiviral agents as post-exposure prophylaxis. The use of antiviral agents for post-exposure prophylaxis is not supported by randomized trials, but uncontrolled experience suggests that it might be a reasonable alternative if varicella-specific immunoglobulin is not available. Current evidence on the use of antiviral agents in the prevention of reactivation disease and management of exposure to VZV is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Program in Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. mboeckh@fhcrc.org
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boeckh
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018890:Chemoprevention; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D000077483:Valacyclovir; D014633:Valine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014775:Virus Activation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D014633:Valine; D000077483:Valacyclovir; D000212:Acyclovir