Talk:Varicella zoster virus

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it will kill your dog

Not necessarily. JFW | T@lk 21:14, 13 Dec 2004 (UTC)

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What is "125,000 nt"? Typo for nm?

"nt" is an abbreviation for "nucleotides", though VZV is a dsDNA virus so it should more correctly be expressed as "bp" (base pairs)... Techelf 03:59, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)

[edit] immunity for life...?

You have to wonder though, if the wild virus produced immunity for life, why did anyone get SHingles? And they did, although it is more common now in ENgland, where we do not routinely immunise, than it used to be. I think the article may have been a bit too definite and simple on that topic.Midgley 23:09, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

I think it means that it makes the person immune to primary varicella infection, i.e. chickenpox. Shingles is a different manifestation, and usually much more localized---someone who has had chickenpox can get shingles (and in fact it's a prerequisite), but someone who has had chickenpox almost never gets chickenpox again. --Delirium 22:40, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

I think it is getting more common to have a second attack of Chickenpox, in England. I can't find figures though. If the story about top-ups of immunity from exposure to spotty children is true then it would be expected to be more common as chickenpox incidence decreases in other countries as well. Midgley 01:12, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

The thing about the VZ virus is that after its primary manifestation as Varicella, or chickenpox, it frequently takes up a subclinical, latent infection in the dorsal nerve ganglia. After the cell-mediated immunity granted by the primary infection wears off and the T-cells lose the ability to recognize and eradicate the virions (this usually takes a long time, but there are exceptions) the Zoster part of the virus can manifest itself as Herpes Zoster, or Shingles. Lifetime immunity is never guaranteed, unfortunately. There have been cases of secondary chickenpox breaking out after prolonged exposure to the virus or due to immunocompromisation.