Chickenpox - VARICELLA ZOSTER VIRUS ANTIBODY (IGG)

Clinical Significance
Varicella-Zoster Virus Antibody (IgG) - Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV) causes chicken pox and when reactivated, potentially decades later, causes shingles. Twenty percent of adults will develop shingles, a rash or blister of the skin that may cause severe pain. Varicella-Zoster IgG, EIA reliably measures immunity due to previous infection, but is unsuitable for detection of post-vaccination immune status.

Preferred Specimen(s)
1 mL serum

Minimum Volume
0.5 mL

Transport Container
Transport tube

Transport Temperature
Room temperature

Specimen Stability
Room temperature: 4 days
Refrigerated: 7 days
Frozen: 30 days
Reject Criteria
Gross hemolysis • Grossly lipemic

Setup Schedule

Methodology
Immunoassay (IA)

Reference Range(s)
Index    Interpretation
<135.00    Negative - Antibody not detected
135.00-164.99    Equivocal
≥165.00    Positive - Antibody detected
A positive result indicates that the patient has antibody to VZV but does not differentiate between an active or past infection.
The clinical diagnosis must be interpreted in conjunction with the clinical signs and symptoms of the patient. This assay reliably measures immunity due to previous infection but may not be sensitive enough to detect antibodies induced by vaccination. Thus, a negative result in a vaccinated individual does not necessarily indicate susceptibility to VZV infection. A more sensitive test for vaccination-induced immunity is Varicella Zoster Virus Antibody Immunity Screen, ACIF.

Alternative Name(s)
Varicella IgG Antibodies,VZV IgG,Shingles,Herpes Zoster IgG Ab,Chicken Pox,VZV Antibody IgG