EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF VIRUS-CAUSED VESICULAR RASHES BY IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE ON SKIN BIOPSIES .1. VARICELLA, ZOSTER AND HERPES-SIMPLEX

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 8  (1) , 27-+
Abstract
The use of immunofluorescence (IF) for the rapid identification of varicella-zoster (V-Z) and herpes simplex (HS) antigen in frozen sections of biopsies of [human] early non-vesicular skin lesions was investigated. Direct IF, using fluorescein- isothiocyanate conjugated immunoglobulin (FITC Ig) of paired human anti-V-Z sera and FITC-conjugated negative and positive anti-V-Z-monkey Ig, yielded specific fluorescence of virus antigen in all 14 varicella cases investigated and in 10/11 zoster cases. Indirect IF, using paired human anti-zoster sera and a sheep anti-human Ig FITC was not satisfactorily specific; staining with the anti-human Ig FITC alone also yielded fluorescence of infected cells in some cases. In 6/8 cases of HS infection specific fluorescence of virus antigen was obtained by direct IF, using FITC-conjugated negative and positive guinea-pig anti-HS Ig. Because of the often predominant distribution of virus antigen to the corium and the skin appendages, punch biopsies are apparently better than scraped material, at least in the prevesicular stage.