The production of
IgE specific to different viruses (HIV-1, Parvovirus B19, RSV), and the ability for
IgE anti-HIV-1 to suppress HIV-1 production in vitro, strongly suggest an important role for
IgE and/or anti viral specific
IgE in viral pathogenesis. Previous studies in our laboratory were the first to report the presence of
IgE anti-varicella zoster virus (VZV) in an adolescent patient with
shingles. However, the presence and long term persistence of
IgE anti VZV
antibodies has not been studied in adults. The presence of serum
IgE in addition to
IgE and
IgG anti-VZV antibody in sera were studied in children (N=12) (0-16 y/o) and adults (N=9) (32-76 y/o) with either a past history of (wild type)
chicken pox (N=7 children, 9 adults) or 5 years after vaccination with
varicella zoster (N=2 children) (
Varicella virus
vaccine live, Oka/Merck), as well as in non-infected subjects (N=3 children). Of the patients who had a positive history of
chicken pox 13 of 16 (81%) contained
IgE anti-VZV
antibodies; they were both serum IgEHi (>100 IU/ml) and IgELo (<100 IU/ml). Of the patients who were vaccinated,
IgE anti-VZV
antibodies were undetected. In contrast, serum from the patients without a history of
chicken pox or vaccination did not make either
IgE or
IgG anti-VZV
antibodies. This is the first demonstration of the existence of
IgE anti-VZV
antibodies, and its long-term persistence in serum of previously infected subjects. Future studies regarding the functional role of anti-viral
IgE and its relationship to VZV are warranted.