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Previous Volume 352:2266-2267 June 2, 2005 Number 22 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Older people and their physicians are all too well acquainted with herpes zoster — commonly called shingles, from the Latin cingulum, or "girdle." Most recognize that aging creates a special vulnerability to this often severely painful skin rash caused by varicella–zoster virus (VZV). VZV is so named because varicella (chickenpox) represents the first encounter between the virus and the host, and herpes zoster represents the second. VZV persists in the sensory ganglia of the cranial nerves and the spinal dorsal-root ganglia after varicella resolves, and it may become reactivated after many decades of latency; molecular analyses of VZV DNA demonstrate . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Source Information

Dr. Arvin is a professor of pediatrics and microbiology and immunology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Kimberlin, D. W., Whitley, R. J. (2007). Varicella-Zoster Vaccine for the Prevention of Herpes Zoster. NEJM 356: 1338-1343 [Full Text]  
• Burke, M. S. (2007). Herpes Zoster Vaccine: Clinical Trial Evidence and Implications for Medical Practice. JAOA: Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 107: S14-S18 [Abstract] [Full Text]