Inactivated varicella vaccine given before hematopoietic-cell transplantation and during the first 90 days thereafter reduces the risk of zoster. The protection correlates with reconstitution of CD4 T-cell immunity against varicella-zoster virus.

Memory T cells specific for varicella-zoster virus (VZV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) were compared in immune adults by intracellular cytokine (ICC) detection. The mean percentages of CD4+ T cells were 0.11% for VZV and 0.22% for HSV by interferon (IFN)-gamma production; the frequency for HCMV was significantly higher at 1.21%. Percentages of VZV-, HSV-, and HCMV-specific CD4+ T cells were similar by use of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. HCMV-stimulated CD8+ T cells produced IFN-gamma (1.11%) and TNF-alpha (1.71%); VZV- and HSV-specific CD8+ T cells were not detectable. VZV CD4+ T cell numbers were similar in young adults with natural or vaccine-induced immunity. VZV CD4+ T cells were significantly less frequent in older adults. Secondary varicella immunization did not increase VZV-specific CD4+ T cell frequencies by ICC assay. Numbers of memory T cells specific for herpesviruses may vary with sites of viral latency and with host age.

Breast-fed infants are susceptible to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection via breast milk. In our previous study, HCMV was isolated more frequently from breast milk at later than one month after delivery than from colostrum or early breast milk. To clarify the role of milk cells and whey in vertical infection by breast feeding, we separated breast milk into milk cells and whey and examined each fraction for the presence of HCMV. We collected breast milk from mothers who breast-fed their infants (aged from 3 days to 2 months). The breast milk was centrifuged and separated into the middle layer (layer of milk whey) and the pellet (containing milk cells). We attempted to isolate HCMV from whey and to detect HCMV immediate early (IE) DNA in both milk whey and cells. HCMV was isolated from 7 out of 35 (20.0%) whey samples and HCMV IE DNA was detected from 15 out of 35 (42.9%) whey and/or milk cells. Detection rates of HCMV IE DNA in the whey layer and milk cells were 39.1% (25 out of 64) and 17.2% (11 out of 64), respectively. HCMV IE DNA was not detected in colostrum, but was detected in breast milk samples one month after delivery. Therefore, cell-free HCMV shed into milk whey may have a more important role in vertical infection by breast milk than cell-associated HCMV in the milk. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection occurs by vertical, horizontal and iatrogenic transmission. In Japan, over 90% of healthy adults acquire the HCMV IgG antibody and over 60% of healthy infants are infected with HCMV during the first year of life (15). Vertical transmission includes transplacental transmission, transmission due to contact with virus-containing secretion in the birth canal, and transmission by feeding infected breast milk. Transplacental transmission that was assessed by viruria of neonates is assumed to have an incidence of 0.2-2.2%. In Japan, as 11-28% of pregnant women in the late stage of gestation shed HCMV into genital tract secretions (15), genital tract secretion was regarded as a main source of infection. Since Diosi et al (5) succeeded in isolating HCMV from breast milk, breast milk has been considered as one of the most important sources of mother-to-infant infection. Hayes et al (7) isolated HCMV from breast milk of 17 out of 64 seropositive women (27%) and most of the isolates were obtained after the first week. Stagno et al (17) reported that breastfed infants are more frequently infected with HCMV than bottle-fed infants based on the rate of isolation from urine. Moreover, Dworsky et al (6) reported that consumption of infected breast milk led to infection in 69% of infants. Isolation of HCMV from colostrum showed a lower incidence than breast milk at more than one month after delivery. Breast feeding seemed to be associated more closely with vertical infection than contact with an infected genital tract. In past studies of our laboratory, Hotsubo et al (8) reported the results of virus isolation and the detection of HCMV DNA for late antigen (LA) in milk samples of seropositive mothers a...

No abstract

Background: The clinical characteristics of Chlamydia trachomatis respiratory tract infections in Japanese neonates were investigated.