Medical expert of the article

Infectious disease

New publications

Varicella: IgM antibodies to the varicella zoster virus in the blood

Alexey Portnov, medical expert
Last reviewed: 18.10.2021

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.

We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Antibodies of IgM to the virus of varicella in serum are not normally present.

Veterinary pox and herpes zoster (lichen) are infectious diseases caused by the same virus. The susceptibility to chicken pox is recognized as universal, but mainly children from 6 months to 7 years of age suffer. In typical cases of the disease, that is, in most patients, the diagnosis of the disease is based on clinical data. For laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis, the method of immunofluorescence (detection of the virus in the foci) is used, and for the detection of antibodies in the blood serum - RSK and ELISA.

When using the RSK, antibodies to the varicella-zoster virus in the serum are detected on the 7th-10th day after the appearance of the rash, their amount reaches a peak by the 2-3rd week. In favor of an acute infection, a 4-fold increase in antibody titer (a sensitivity of 50%) is indicated.

Verification of the diagnosis of varicella can be done using the ELISA method: with its help, antibodies of IgM and IgG classes are detected. IgM antibodies begin to register in the first 5 days after the onset of the rash, they disappear after a few weeks or months. The determination of IgM antibodies to varicella zoster virus is used to diagnose the acute period of chicken pox (sensitivity - 86.1%, specificity - 98.9%).

IgG antibodies appear during the period of convalescence and may be present in the blood indefinitely, a diagnostic increase of 4 times their titer is considered.

Translation Disclaimer: For the convenience of users of the iLive portal this article has been translated into the current language, but has not yet been verified by a native speaker who has the necessary qualifications for this. In this regard, we warn you that the translation of this article may be incorrect, may contain lexical, syntactic and grammatical errors.