Immunity to varicella-zoster viral glycoproteins, gp I (gp 90/58) and gp III (gp 118), and to a nonglycosylated protein, p 170.

Abstract Humoral and cellular immunity against two major glycoproteins (gp) of varicella-zoster virus (VZV), gp I (gp 90/58) and gp III (gp 118), and against a nonglycosylated phosphoprotein (p 170) was demonstrated in human subjects. Primary VZV infection was accompanied by the development of IgG to gp I (mean titer 1:200), gp III (mean titer 1:132), and p 170 (mean titer 1:331). Increased IgG antibody production to each of the VZV proteins occurred during recurrent VZV infection with mean titers to gp I of 1:29512, to gp III of 1:15848, and to p 170 of 1:15848. Persistent high titers to gp III (mean titer 1:891) and to p 170 (mean titer 1:2238) were observed in 75% and 88% of VZV-immune subjects, respectively. T lymphocytes which proliferated on stimulation with gp I, gp III, and p 170 developed with primary VZV infection. VZV-immune subjects had mean transformation indices of 4.2 +/- 0.70 SE to gp I, 4.7 +/- 1 SE to gp III, and 3 +/- 0.39 SE to p 170. Among individual subjects, humoral and cellular immunity was not always detected to all three of the VZV proteins. Resolution of primary VZV infection and maintenance of VZV latency did not require a host response to each of these major viral proteins.