Herpes Zoster and Exposure to the Varicella Zoster Virus in an Era of Varicella Vaccination

Overview

Journal Am J Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 2010 Jan 16

PMID 20075320

Citations 11

Authors

James G Donahue

Burney A Kieke

Paul M Gargiullo

Aisha O Jumaan

Nicholas R Berger

Jeremy S McCauley

Edward A Belongia

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: We performed a case-control study to determine if participants with herpes zoster had fewer contacts with persons with varicella or zoster, and with young children, to explore the hypothesis that exposure to persons with varicella zoster virus (VZV) results in "immune boosting."

Methods: Participants were patients of the multispecialty Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin. We identified patients aged 40 to 79 years with a new diagnosis of zoster from August 2000 to July 2005. We frequency matched control participants to case participants for age. We confirmed diagnoses by chart review and assessed exposures by interview.

Results: Interviews were completed by 633 of 902 eligible case participants (70.2%) and 655 of 1149 control participants (57.0%). The number of varicella contacts was not associated with zoster; there was no trend even at the highest exposure level (3 or more contacts). Similarly, there was no association with exposure to persons with zoster or to children, or with workplace exposures.

Conclusions: Although exposure to VZV in our study was relatively low, the absence of a relationship with zoster reflects the uncertain influence of varicella circulation on zoster epidemiology.

Citing Articles

Incidence Rate of Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus: A Retrospective Cohort Study from 1994 through 2018.

Kong C, Thompson R, Porco T, Kim E, Acharya N Ophthalmology. 2019; 127(3):324-330.

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The natural history of varicella zoster virus infection in Norway: Further insights on exogenous boosting and progressive immunity to herpes zoster.

Marangi L, Mirinaviciute G, Flem E, Scalia Tomba G, Guzzetta G, Freiesleben De Blasio B PLoS One. 2017; 12(5):e0176845.

PMID: 28545047 PMC: 5436649. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176845.

Increasing incidence associated with herpes zoster infection in British Columbia, Canada.

Marra F, Chong M, NajafZadeh M BMC Infect Dis. 2016; 16(1):589.

PMID: 27765026 PMC: 5073843. DOI: 10.1186/s12879-016-1898-z.

Increasing Incidence of Herpes Zoster Over a 60-year Period From a Population-based Study.

Kawai K, Yawn B, Wollan P, Harpaz R Clin Infect Dis. 2016; 63(2):221-6.

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Varicella-Zoster Virus in Perth, Western Australia: Seasonality and Reactivation.

Korostil I, Regan D PLoS One. 2016; 11(3):e0151319.

PMID: 26963841 PMC: 4786334. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151319.

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