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Varicella Zoster Virus Immune Evasion Strategies

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Varicella-zoster Virus

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 342))

Abstract

The capacity of varicella zoster virus (VZV) to cause varicella (chickenpox) relies upon multiple steps, beginning with inoculation of the host at mucosal sites with infectious virus in respiratory droplets. Despite the presence of a powerful immune defense system, this virus is able to disseminate from the site of initial infection to multiple sites, resulting in the emergence of distinctive cutaneous vesiculopustular lesions. Most recently, it has been proposed that the steps leading to cutaneous infection include VZV infecting human tonsillar CD4+ T cells that express skin homing markers that allow them to transport VZV directly from the lymph node to the skin during the primary viremia. It has also been proposed that dendritic cells (DC) of the respiratory mucosa may be among the first cells to encounter VZV and these cells may transport virus to the draining lymph node. These various virus-host cell interactions would all need to occur in the face of an intact host immune response for the virus to successfully cause disease. Significantly, following primary exposure to VZV, there is a prolonged incubation period before emergence of skin lesions, during which time the adaptive immune response is delayed. For these reasons, it has been proposed that VZV must encode functions which benefit the virus by evading the immune response. This chapter will review the diverse array of immunomodulatory mechanisms identified to date that VZV has evolved to at least transiently limit immune recognition.

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Acknowledgments

AA and BS were supported by NHMRC grant 457356. PRK acknowledges support for this work by Public Health Service NIH grants NS064022 and EY08098, and funds from the Research to Prevent Blindness Inc. and the Eye and Ear Institute of Pittsburgh.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Sydney, Blackburn Building, Room 601, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Allison Abendroth

  2. Centre for Virus Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia

    Allison Abendroth & Barry Slobedman

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

    Paul R. Kinchington

  4. Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

    Paul R. Kinchington

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  1. Allison Abendroth
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  2. Paul R. Kinchington
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  3. Barry Slobedman
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Correspondence to Allison Abendroth .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Infectious Diseases and Im, Head, VZV Research Laboratory, University of Sydney, Room 601 Blackburn Building D06, Sydney, 2006, New South Wales, Australia

    Allison Abendroth

  2. School of Medicine, Dept. Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University, Pasteur Drive 300, Stanford, 94305-5124, California, USA

    Ann M. Arvin

  3. 2215 Weiskotten Hall, Upstate Medical University, East Adams Street 750, Syracuse, 13210, New York, USA

    Jennifer F. Moffat

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Abendroth, A., Kinchington, P.R., Slobedman, B. (2010). Varicella Zoster Virus Immune Evasion Strategies. In: Abendroth, A., Arvin, A., Moffat, J. (eds) Varicella-zoster Virus. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 342. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/82_2010_41

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