Investigation of an outbreak of varicella in Chandigarh, North India, using a real-time polymerase chain reaction approach

Indian J Med Microbiol. 2017 Jul-Sep;35(3):417-420. doi: 10.4103/ijmm.IJMM_16_420.

Abstract

Outbreaks of varicella are reported when susceptible population accumulates. This study reports a chickenpox outbreak in Burail in August 2014, wherein 20 laboratory-confirmed cases were identified by the detection of varicella zoster virus (VZV) DNA and VZV IgM antibodies. The viral load between vesicular swabs and serum samples from 8 patients with active lesions was found to have good correlation and further also related with disease severity. Real-time polymerase chain reaction can be useful for early diagnosis of an outbreak and vesicular swab can be used as a less invasive sample for assessing the disease severity.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Chickenpox / epidemiology*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • DNA, Viral / blood
  • DNA, Viral / genetics
  • Diagnostic Tests, Routine / methods*
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • India / epidemiology
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Molecular Epidemiology / methods*
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • DNA, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G