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Biomedical subjects

A Gershon

Publications and source records attributed to A Gershon.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Transmission of varicella-zoster virus from a vaccinee with leukemia, demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction.

A 5-year-old white boy in remission from acute lymphoblastic leukemia who was receiving maintenance anticancer chemotherapy had approximately 200 vesicular skin lesions 1 month after receiving live attenuated varicella vaccine. About 2 to 3 weeks later, a mild illness resembling varicella occurred in his susceptible siblings and in three of his classmates. Vaccine-type varicella-zoster virus was demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction in swab specimens from vesicular lesions in his two siblings, in whom antibody to varicella-zoster virus also developed.

Chickenpox↗
PubMed1992

Restriction fragment length polymorphism of polymerase chain reaction products from vaccine and wild-type varicella-zoster virus isolates.

The nucleotide changes that result in two restriction endonuclease polymorphisms that differentiate wild-type varicella-zoster virus (VZV) from the vaccine strain were determined. Oligonucleotide primers that flank these sites were used to amplify the intervening sequences with the polymerase chain reaction to identify VZV DNA in clinical isolates. Restriction enzyme digestion of the amplification products distinguished vaccine and wild-type genomes from one another. This study confirms the feasibility of amplifying VZV sequences so that they may be detected in clinical specimens and provides a molecular epidemiological approach to strain identification of VZV in vesicular lesions.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Herpes zoster-associated encephalitis: clinicopathologic report of 12 cases and review of the literature.

Herpes-zoster associated encephalitis (HZAE) is an uncommon complication of herpes zoster. Over 8 years, we evaluated 12 patients with this clinical diagnosis. The majority of our patients were elderly, immunosuppressed, and found to have disseminated skin lesions prior to the onset of CNS symptoms. All patients had abnormal EEGs, and CSF pleocytosis was found in most. In the seven patients who were tested, specific antibody to the varicella-zoster membrane antigen (FAMA) was detected in spinal fluid during the course of the illness. Although three patients died during the period of active infection, the virus could not be definitively implicated as the cause of death. These HZAE patients could not be distinguished from our other herpes zoster patients on the basis of age, initially involved dermatome, or mortality rate. However, among herpes zoster patients who survived, duration of hospitalization was significantly longer in those with a diagnosis of HZAE. All surviving HZAE patients had a slow but eventual return to their prior cognitive status.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Varicella-zoster-associated encephalitis: detection of specific antibody in cerebrospinal fluid.

Varicella-zoster (VZ) antibody measured by indirect immunofluorescence was used to identify patients with encephalitis due to VZ virus. In 15 of 16 (94%) patients with VZ infection and clinical evidence of central nervous system involvement, VZ antibody was present at a titer of 1:2 or greater in cerebrospinal fluid. In contrast, no VZ antibody was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of seven patients with VZ infections without clinical signs of central nervous system involvement, nor was any detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of 25 patients with malignant or demyelinating disease or encephalitis due to other viral or toxic agents. All of these patients had detectable serum VZ antibody. Thus, in this study the presence of detectable VZ antibody in cerebrospinal fluid measured by indirect immunofluorescence seemed to correlate with clinical evidence of central nervous system involvement due to this virus.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1979

Cell-mediated immunity to varicella-zoster virus infection in subjects with lymphoma or leukemia.

Normal subjects and patients with lymphoma or leukemia were tested for the levels of lymphocytes, E-rosette--forming T-cells, serum and vesicle fluid interferon, and specific in vitro proliferative response to varicella-zoster antigen after clinical varicella or herpes zoster illness. The effect of polyinosinic acid/polycytidilic acid on the immune response was also evaluated. The development of VZ specific cell-mediated response in normal subjects was characterized by intense proliferative activity eight to ten days after the onset of illness, with significant decline 70 to 80 days later. The responses in subjects with lymphoma or leukemia were much lower. Few subjects with chickenpox or zoster with lymphoma or leukemia died during the infection. Death was associated with significant depletion of E-rosette--forming T-cells, and grossly deficient specific cellular response to VZ antigen. Treatment with Poly IC frequently induced elevations in serum as well as vesicle fluid interferon levels, and increased the proliferative activity of lymphocytes against VZ antigen.

Adolescent↗