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Varicella-zostervirus(VZV)isamedicallyimportanthumanherpesvirus,belo- ingtothesubfamilyAlphaherpesviridae. Thecapacitytopersistinsensoryneurons isade?ningcharacteristicoftheAlphaherpesviridaesubgroupwhichalsoincludes herpessimplexvirus1and2;likeVZV,simianvaricellavirus(SVV),pseudorabies virus-1(PRV-1),andequineherpesvirus-1(EHV-1)belongtotheVaricellovirus genus. ThebasicelementsoftheinfectiouscycleofVZVinthehumanhostarethat infectionofthena?vehostresultsinvaricella,commonlyknownaschickenpox, latencyisestablishedinsensoryganglia,andreactivationcauseszosteror sh- gles. Therelationshipbetweenthecausative agentofvaricellaandzoster was demonstratedmorethan100yearsagowhenchildreninoculatedwithmaterialfrom zosterlesionswereshowntodevelopvaricella. Thelocalizeddistributionofthe zosterrashwasalsorecognizedasdemarcatingthedematomeinnervatedbyaxons fromneuronsineachofthesensoryganglia. Earlyelectronmicroscopystudies showedthatvirusparticleswerepresentinhighconcentrationsinthevesicular ?uidfrombothvaricellaandzosterlesions,andVZVwasamongthe?rstviruses propagatedinvitrobyJohnEndersandThomasWeller. Theintroductionofim- nosuppressivetherapiesformalignancyledtoobservationssuggestingtheneed forcell-mediatedimmunityinthehostresponsetovaricellaanditsroleinma- tainingVZVlatency. Fortunately,earlystudiesofthemolecularvirologyofVZV revealedthatitwasinhibitedbyinterferencewiththethymidinekinasegene,and thelife-threateningandoftenfatalVZVinfectionsexperiencedbythesepatients becametreatablewithantiviraldrugs. Subsequently,thecapacitytogrowVZVin tissueculturewasexploitedtocreatealiveattenuatedVZVvaccinebyMichiaki Tashihaki. Whilenowtakenforgranted,theseearlyinsightsaboutVZVandits characteristicsasahumanpathogenaswellasthedevelopmentofeffectivean- viral drugs and vaccines occurred over many decades. Importantly, these early observationssetthestagefortheremarkableprogressthathasbeenmadeinour understandingofthemolecularbiologyofVZV,thesubtletiesofitstropismfor differentiatedhumancells,includinglymphocytesaswellasskinandneurons,and themechanismsbywhichthevirusachievesanequilibriumwiththehostsothatit persistsnotjustintheindividualbutinthehumanpopulation. v vi Preface Thepurposeofthisvolumeistoreviewkeyareasofprogressinthe?eldofVZV research,aswellasworkontherelatedSVV,writtenbythosewhohavecontributed manyofthenew? ndingsthathaveenrichedourknowledgeoftheuniquech- acteristicsofthisubiquitoushumanpathogen. AlthoughtheVZVgenomeisthe smallestamongthehumanherpesviruses,therapidlyacceleratingpaceofdiscovery about VZV and VZV-host interactions re?ected in these reviews promises to continueasnewtoolsareavailableandnewhypothesesaregeneratedtoexplain howVZVhascreatedandmaintaineditsnicheinthehuman virome Therelationshipbetweenthecausative agentofvaricellaandzoster was demonstratedmorethan100yearsagowhenchildreninoculatedwithmaterialfrom zosterlesionswereshowntodevelopvaricella. Thelocalizeddistributionofthe zosterrashwasalsorecognizedasdemarcatingthedematomeinnervatedbyaxons fromneuronsineachofthesensoryganglia. Earlyelectronmicroscopystudies showedthatvirusparticleswerepresentinhighconcentrationsinthevesicular ?uidfrombothvaricellaandzosterlesions,andVZVwasamongthe?rstviruses propagatedinvitrobyJohnEndersandThomasWeller. Theintroductionofim- nosuppressivetherapiesformalignancyledtoobservationssuggestingtheneed forcell-mediatedimmunityinthehostresponsetovaricellaanditsroleinma- tainingVZVlatency. Fortunately,earlystudiesofthemolecularvirologyofVZV revealedthatitwasinhibitedbyinterferencewiththethymidinekinasegene,and thelife-threateningandoftenfatalVZVinfectionsexperiencedbythesepatients becametreatablewithantiviraldrugs. Subsequently,thecapacitytogrowVZVin tissueculturewasexploitedtocreatealiveattenuatedVZVvaccinebyMichiaki Tashihaki. Whilenowtakenforgranted,theseearlyinsightsaboutVZVandits characteristicsasahumanpathogenaswellasthedevelopmentofeffectivean- viral drugs and vaccines occurred over many decades. Importantly, these early observationssetthestProduct Identifiers
PublisherSpringer-Verlag Berlin AND Heidelberg Gmbh & Co. KG
ISBN-139783642264665
eBay Product ID (ePID)138733997
Product Key Features
Number of Pages378 Pages
Publication NameVaricella-Zoster Virus
LanguageEnglish
SubjectMedicine
Publication Year2012
TypeTextbook
AuthorAnn M. Arvin, Allison Abendroth, Jennifer F. Moffat
SeriesCurrent Topics in Microbiology and Immunology
Dimensions
Item Height235 mm
Item Weight599 g
Item Width155 mm
Volume342
Additional Product Features
EditorJennifer F. Moffat, Ann M. Arvin, Allison Abendroth
Country/Region of ManufactureGermany