Seroepidemiology of VZV in the young adults referring to Rasoul-Akram Hospital in Tehran

Varicella–Zoster virus causes chicken – pox, which is a mild disease in children. However, in adolescents and adults between 20 to 40 years of age, it may be severe with visceral involvement such as pneumonia and hepatitis. In this study the level of anti VZV antibody in young adults was determined. Compatibility of the history of varicella with presence of varicella antibody in this population, considering sensitivity, specificity, predictive positive and predictive negative values, was assessed. This cross–sectional study included 400 healthy young adults. The enzyme immunoassay was used to determine the titer of IgG antibodies against VZV in the sera. Statistical analysis of the data was performed by means of chi2 test. A total of 400 young adults between 20 and 40 years of age were examined and 313 (78. 25%) of them were found to be seropositive. Sero-positivity was more significant in the females (P=0.048). There was no statistically significant difference in the antibody titer between different age groups (P=0.82). Correlations of sensitivity and positive predictive value of history of varicella with presence of antibody in the sera were 89% and 95% respectively. The results of this study showed a significant number of young adults are susceptible to infection and extensive screening and sero-prevalence studies are needed to make decision about mass vaccination in children in Iran.