•There is evidence of the regional differences in the association between VZV IgG and MS.•In Europe, there is no significant association between VZV IgG seropositivity and MD.•In Asian countries, VZV ...IgG seropositivity is more prevalent in MS than controls.•Further studies are needed to identify the potential effect modifiers of this association.
: Although there has long been a suspected association between varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and multiple sclerosis (MS), the connection has remained unclear. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis in an attempt to assess the association between VZV IgG serostatus and MS.
: A literature search was performed using three databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane. Eligible results included observational studies investigating the seroprevalence of VZV immunoglobulin G (IgG) in adults with MS versus non-MS controls. Two authors performed a screen of the search results, evaluating them for quality and relevant outcomes. Using a random-effect model, we estimated pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
: The literature search yielded 1,268 articles, 8 of which (2,266 MS patients and 1,818 controls) were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Evaluation of all included studies together showed no significant association between VZV IgG seropositivity and MS (OR 1.439; 95%CI, 0.503–4.118; p 0.497). However, when analyzed in subgroups based on geographical area, studies performed in Asian countries showed VZV IgG seropositivity was more common in MS patients than in controls (OR 4.470; 95%CI 1.959–10.203; p < 0.001). No significant association was found in European countries.
: This study found evidence of an association between VZV IgG seropositivity and MS in Asian countries. Additional studies are warranted to ascertain factors impacting this association.
Highlights • Legionella and human herpesvirus 3 coinfection in an immunocompetent patient. • Need of Legionella prevention and control measures at the workplace. • Importance of offering chickenpox ...vaccination to susceptible adults.
Varicella-zoster Virus Abendroth, Allison; Arvin, Ann M; Moffat, Jennifer F
2010, 20100226, 2014-07-30, Volume:
342
eBook
Varicella-zoster virus is a common human pathogen that causes varicella (chickenpox), establishes latency in sensory nerve ganglia and can reactivate many years later as herpes zoster. Molecular ...epidemiologic approaches based on genomic sequencing have documented the global distribution of VZV in distinct clades that reflect patterns of human migration. Contemporary molecular methods are making it possible to dissect how VZV gene products support the viral life cycle, including those that are necessary for viral replication, virion assembly and egress as well as those that permit take over of the host cell by modulating cell cycle regulation, survival and intrinsic antiviral responses. Progress is also being made in understanding the events in VZV pathogenesis and the viral tropisms for keratinocytes, T cells, dendritic cells and neurons during primary infection, latency and reactivation and the innate and adaptive host responses that modulate these events. New insights about molecular virology and pathogenesis have emerged from comparative studies of VZV and simian varicella virus. VZV is the only human herpesvirus for which vaccines to prevent both primary and recurrent infection are approved and VZV vaccines have had significant public health benefits. These achievements and new directions that are unfolding are described in this review of VZV basic and clinical research
