Current Methods for the Detection of Antibodies of Varicella-Zoster Virus: A Review

Infection with the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes chickenpox and shingles, which lead to significant morbidity and mortality globally. The detection of serum VZV-specific antibodies is important for the clinical diagnosis and sero-epidemiological research of VZV infection, and for assessing the effect of VZV vaccine immunization. Over recent decades, a variety of methods for VZV antibody detection have been developed. This review summarizes and compares the current methods for detecting VZV antibodies, and discussed future directions for this field.

Automated summary

Infection with VZV causes chickenpox and shingles, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Detecting serum VZV-specific antibodies is crucial for clinical diagnosis, sero-epidemiological research, and evaluating the efficacy of VZV vaccine. Various methods for VZV antibody detection have been developed, and this review summarizes and compares the current methods while discussing future directions in the field.