Overview
Also known as human herpesvirus 3, varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a DNA virus that can cause chickenpox (varicella) and shingles (herpes zoster). Varicella-zoster virus is associated with:
Pathophysiology
VZV is highly contagious and spread by the respiratory route. In the skin, its replication can cause epithelial damage, resulting in vesicles containing damaged material and leukocytes. These may burst and spread VZV or resolve. After infection, VZV can remain latent in the dorsal root ganglia and reactivate, causing shingles.
Around 90% of people are seropositive for VZV in their 20s.
