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Review
. 2022 Mar 12;14(3):588.
doi: 10.3390/v14030588.

Effect of Routine Varicella Immunization on the Epidemiology and Immunogenicity of Varicella and Shingles

Naruhito Otani  1 , Masayuki Shima  1 , Takuma Yamamoto  2 , Toshiomi Okuno  3
Affiliations
Review

Effect of Routine Varicella Immunization on the Epidemiology and Immunogenicity of Varicella and Shingles

Naruhito Otani et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes varicella as a primary infection and remains latent in the ganglia until it becomes reactivated to cause herpes zoster. Individuals with varicella develop adaptive humoral and cell-mediated immunity. Compromised cell-mediated immunity is thought to contribute to the development of herpes zoster. Recent evidence suggests that changes in the epidemiology of varicella have affected the epidemiology of herpes zoster. The incidence of herpes zoster is higher in older adults; thus, the herpes zoster vaccine is recommended for older adults. However, the incidence of herpes zoster is expected to rise among younger individuals; hence, vaccination with the varicella vaccine should also be considered in younger adults. In order to determine the need for vaccination in different populations, it is important to establish methods to accurately assess the activity of cell-mediated immunity and humoral immunity.

Keywords: cell-mediated immunity; herpes zoster; herpes zoster virus; humoral immunity; vaccination; vaccine; varicella.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

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