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Demonstration of Viral Antibody Activity in Two Immunoglobulin G Subclasses in Patients with Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection¹

Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory, California State Department of Public Health, Berkeley, 94704

Abstract

The nature of the immunoglobulins produced in response to infection with the varicella-zoster virus (V-Z) was investigated. In primary infections (varicella) antibody was demonstrable in both IgM and IgG serum fractions, while in secondary infections (herpes zoster) antibody was demonstrable only in the IgG fraction. Two IgG components differing in their electrophoretic mobilities were separated from human sera by DEAE-cellulose chromatography and these differed in their antibody activity depending upon the clinical manifestation of the V-Z infection. V-Z antibody was demonstrable in the "slow" IgG subclass in varicella and herpes zoster infections by both neutralization and fluorescent antibody (FA) tests. In varicella infections neutralizing antibody was not demonstrable in the "fast" IgG fraction, although low levels of antibody were detected by FA tests. In herpes zoster infections, on the other hand, the "fast" IgG fraction contained antibody demonstrable by both neutralization and FA tests. This suggests that the antibody response to primary infection with the V-Z may be "incomplete." The possible protective activities of these two subclasses of IgG are discussed.

Footnotes

This study was supported in part by Grants GM-1038-06 and AI-01475 from the National Institutes of Health, United States Public Health Service, Department of Health, Education and Welfare.