Abstract
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccines induce immunity against childhood chickenpox and against shingles in older adults. The safety, efficacy, and widespread use of VZV vaccines suggest that they may also be effective as recombinant vaccines against other infectious diseases that affect the young and the elderly. The generation of recombinant VZV vaccines and their evaluation in animal models are reviewed. The potential advantages and limitations of recombinant VZV vaccines are addressed.
Highlights
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccines provide immune protection against diseases that affect both the young and the elderly
An recombinant VZV (rVZV) vaccine offers greater safety as a general population vaccine compared to other live viral vectors, such as vaccinia virus, and the varicella vaccine is the only live viral vaccine approved for certain groups of cancer and otherwise immunosuppressed patients, including children with HIV infection [13]
RVZV vaccines generated by insertion of foreign genes within the viral thymidine kinase (TK) gene may not be clinically useful as effective antiviral treatment for VZV infections with acyclovir and other nucleoside analogs depends on a functional TK
Summary
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccines provide immune protection against diseases that affect both the young and the elderly. The live, attenuated varicella vaccine (VARIVAX) immunizes children against chickenpox, a childhood disease characterized by fever and vesicular skin rash. The VZV Zostavax vaccine protects older adults against herpes zoster (shingles), a vesicular skin disease caused by VZV reactivation from latently infected neural ganglia. The varicella vaccine is recommended as a routine childhood vaccination in the U.S with over 80% of school-age children immunized each year. The VZV Oka vaccine virus is capable of establishing latent infection in neural ganglia and may reactivate to cause herpes zoster, the incidence appears to be significantly less than that caused by wild-type VZV [7, 8]. The shingles vaccine is not approved for immunocompromised individuals, it has been shown to be safe and effective in some cancer patients [12]
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