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Varicellazoster
virus (VZV) is known to cause two diseases: Chickenpox (Varicella) and
Shingles (Herpes Zoster).
Chickenpox:
The typical rash of chickenpox is made up of groups of small, itchy blisters
surrounded by inflamed skin. The rash usually begins as one or two lesions,
quickly spreading throughout the body including the trunk, scalp, face,
arms, and legs. The total number of blisters varies greatly from person
to person. Over four days, each blister tends to dry out and form a scab,
which then falls off between 9 to 13 days later. The rash is usually preceded
by a low-grade fever, fatigue, headache and flu-like symptoms. Chickenpox
is a common contagious disease of children that usually has a benign course.
However, chickenpox in adults or
people with weakened immune systems can have serious complications.
Chickenpox is highly contagious, and is spread via infected airborne droplets
following sneezing or coughing, or by direct contact with the discharge
from pox lesions. The time between exposure to the virus and appearance
of symptoms (called an incubation period) is between 10 and 20 days. The
virus is contagious from two days before the rash appears until all of
the lesions have crusted over.
Infection caused by Varicella-Zoster during pregnancy can cause serious
disease or malformation of the fetus; if it occurs at the end of pregnancy,
it can be fatal to the neonate.
Shingles:
Despite full recovery from chickenpox, the virus may lie dormant in nerve
cells in the spine and may re-emerge in the form of Shingles many years
after resolution of the primary disease. Reactivation of the dormant virus
usually occurs when the immune system is compromised or during aging.
Upon reactivation, the virus travels down the tract of the particular
nerve where it was "hibernating", first causing the pain and
other sensations followed by a rash. The pattern or path that the symptoms
follow is called a dermatome, which is essentially the area of the skin
that the nerve supplies.
Serological methods are usually adopted to determine the immune state
of subjects at risk, such as immuno-compromised patients, and in pre-natal
and postnatal diagnosis of infected subjects.
| Product |
Cat
# |
Description |
Specimen
material |
Method |
Size |
| Varicella
IgG |
E-VIG-K20 |
Qualitative
detection of Anti- VZV IgG
antibodies |
Serum
and Plasma |
ELISA |
96
tests |
| Varicella
IgM |
E-VIM-K21 |
Qualitative
detection of Anti-VZV IgM
antibodies |
Serum
and Plasma |
ELISA |
96
tests |
Sample
Volume : 10 µl
Controls/ Calibrators : 3 controls
Incubation : 45+ 45+15 min
Substrate : TMB
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