Which microbe causes Chickenpox?

• Chickenpox is caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV)

 

How VZV infection causes Chickenpox?

• The virus (VZV) infects the nose, mouth, throat and eyes

• The virus eventually moves to the skin in about 14 days to cause swollen rash on the skin and sometimes in the mouse.

  • The rashes often have different sizes and shapes based on when they started to appear.

  • The rashes mostly appear in children and are called chickenpox

  • Adults may have chickenpox if they did not have it as infants

 

How VZV infection causes Shingles?

• After the symptoms of Chickenpox are over, the virus lays dormant in the nervous system of the patient. When the patient is stressed or immune compromised, the virus (VZV) will start replicating again and give rise to shingles in adults patients.

 

What are the complications from Chickenpox?

• • Pregnant mothers are at high risk for serious disease, including death.

    • It is important to know if the mother has had chicken pox in the past. 

    • If she is not sure, she can have testing to determine immunity

    • If she is not immune, then she should have a dose of VariZig (high titer immuneglobulin) that can protect her from developing chicken pox or can moderate her illness if she does get sick.

    • Viral infection during pregnancy can lead to skin damage in the newborn and loss of the baby in some cases.

• Other complications from Chickenpox disease

  • Pneumonia

  • Central nervous system disease (cerebellar ataxia, encephalitis)

  • Secondary bacterial infection with or without sepsis

  • Rare complications (glomerulonephritis, arthritis, hepatitis)

  • Scarring of the skin

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What are the complications from Chickenpox?

•  Secondary bacterial infection

• Dissemination in immunocompromised person

• Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation

• Postherpetic neuralgia (chronic nerve pain)

• Blindness if involving the eye

 

How to avoid getting infected with the virus causing Chickenpox and Shingles

• Primary prevention of chickenpox in children involves immunization against the virus

• Chickenpox can also be prevented with the use of VariZIG which is a high titer immunoglobulin directed against varicella zoster virus. It is given to people at high risk for severe disease following significant exposures—like a pregnant mother.

• Prevention of shingles in adults requires vaccination

  •  Vaccine different from chickenpox vaccine

  • Vaccine in the US administered to individuals 50 years and older.

 

Which treatments are available against the Chickenpox virus?

• Acyclovir and valacyclovir are antiviral drugs that can be used to treat people with varicella zoster virus infection.