• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.55-63
• /
• 2024

Purpose: A 2-dose varicella vaccination strategy has been introduced in many countries worldwide, aiming to increase vaccine effectiveness (VE) against varicella infection. In this network meta-analysis, we aimed to provide a comprehensive evaluation and an overall estimated effect of varicella vaccination strategies, via a Bayesian model. Methods: For each eligible study, we collected trial characteristics, such as: 1-dose vs. 2-dose, demographic characteristics, and outcomes of interest. For studies involving different doses, we aggregated the data for the same number of doses delivered into one arm. The preventive effect of 1-dose vs. 2-dose of varicella vaccine were evaluated in terms of the odds ratio (OR) and corresponding equal-tailed 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results: A total of 903 studies were retrieved during our literature search, and 25 interventional or observational studies were selected for the Bayesian network meta-analysis. A total of 49,265 observed individuals were included in this network meta-analysis. Compared to the 0-dose control group, the OR of all varicella infections were 0.087 (95% CI, 0.046-0.164) and 0.310 (95% CI, 0.198-0.484) for 2-doses and one-dose, respectively, which corresponded to VE of 69.0% (95% CI, 51.6-81.2) and VE of 91.3% (95% CI, 83.6-95.4) for 1- and 2-doses, respectively. Conclusions: A 2-dose vaccine strategy was able to significantly reduce varicella burden. The effectiveness of 2-dose vaccination on reducing the risk of infection was demonstrated by sound statistical evidence, which highlights the public health need for a 2-dose vaccine recommendation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.268-273
• /
• 2015

The fluorescent-antibody-to-membrane-antigen (FAMA) test is regarded as the "gold standard" to detect protective antibodies to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) because of its high sensitivity and specificity. Because the classic FAMA test uses an infectious virus for detection of antibodies to VZV, it is labor-intensive, and also requires special equipment for handling the virus. For this reason, we attempted to develop a simple and safe FAMA assay. Because VZV glycoprotein E (gE) is one of the major VZV glycoproteins, we used the gE protein for the FAMA test (gE FAMA). Here, we demonstrate that overexpression of gE in HEK293T cells can be used to measure antibodies in human serum, and that gE FAMA titers are closely correlated with gpEIA ELISA data. These results indicate that our gE FAMA test has the potential to measure antibodies to VZV.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.180-187
• /
• 2016

Purpose: This study described the post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and secondary varicella infection in children inadvertently exposed to varicella zoster virus (VZV) in the hospital. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients with VZV infection who were initially not properly isolated, as well as children exposed to VZV at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital between January 2010 and December 2015. The PEP measures were determined by the presence of immunity to VZV and immunocompromising conditions. Patient clinical information was reviewed via medical records. Results: Among 147 children hospitalized between 2010 and 2015, 13 inadvertent exposures were notified due to VZV infection. Five index children had a history of VZV vaccination. Eighty-six children were exposed in multi-occupancy rooms and 62.8% (54/86) were immune to VZV. The PEP measures administered to 27 exposed patients included varicella zoster immunoglobulin and VZV vaccination. Four children developed secondary varicella, which was linked to a single index patient, including one child who did not receive PEP and three of the 27 children who received PEP. The rates of secondary varicella and prophylaxis failure were 4.7% (4/85) and 11.1% (3/27), respectively. The secondary varicella rates were 1.9% (1/54) and 9.7% (3/31) among immunocompetent and immunocompromised children, respectively. Conclusions: Delayed diagnosis of VZV infection can lead to unexpected exposure and place susceptible children and immunocompromised patients at risk for developing varicella. The appropriateness of the current PEP strategy based on VZV immunity may require re-evaluation.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.171-178
• /
• 2000

Herpes simplex virus, Varicella zoster virus and Human herpes virus-6 caused central nervous system infections and latent infections but there is no data of the 3 viruses being tested from the same cerebrospinal fluid samples with aseptic meningitis or encephalitis in adults patients. These viruses produced similar neurologic symptoms but difficulties existed in differentiating of etiologic agents and therefore the viruses needed to be detected in the early state. Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE) in adults, if not treated promptly was fatal. If treated with antiviral drugs in the early phase of encephalitis, neurologic sequales decreased by 65%. Recently, a PCR method for detection of HSVE with CSF was developed. VZV primary and secondary infections caused neurologic symptoms of encephalitis or meningitis. The second frequency of adult encephalitis that caused VZV were reported. HHV-6 caused CNS latent infection that was studied with normal adults brains. But there is no data of HSV, VZV and HHV-6 for aseptic meningitis and encephalitis of Korean adults through etiologic study. We cultured CSFs on HEp-2 cells and simultaneously tested for HSV PCR, VZV nested PCR and HHV-6 PCR with 8 specific primers. The PCR results of CSF from meningitis Korean adults were 13/19 (68.4%) for HSV, 10/19 (52.6%) for VZV and 12/19 (63.2%) for HHV-67/19 (36.8%) cases were triple infected HSV PCR, VZV PCR and HHV-6 PCR positive; 3/19 (15.8%) cases were dual infected HSV PCR and HHV-6 PCR positive; 1119 (0.5%) cases was VZV PCR positive. Strong viral DNA amplification of CSF means a causative virus may be present in aseptic meningitis or encephalitis patients and may cause clinical neurologic symptoms. HSV and HHV-6 viruses detection rate were higher than VZV by PCR with CSFs.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.53-59
• /
• 2020

Jeju Province has unique geographical and climatologic characteristics compared with other areas in Korea. Thus it needs to evaluate the status of nationwide notifiable infectious diseases(NND) continuously. The aim was to conduct a descriptive study for NNDs in Jeju Province, 2001~2019. The source of data was on the Infectious Disease Statistics System operated by Centers for Diseases Control & Prevention in Korea between 1 September 2001 and 31 August 2019. When calculating the proportion of the sum of years showing a higher incidence in Jeju province than nationwide divided by the sum of comparing years, the NDD with the proportion of the sum of years over 75% in 2001~2019 included varicella and syphilis. The results support significant evidence to plan strategies and distribute community resources for the control and prevention of NND in Jeju Province, Korea.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.121-130
• /
• 2008

Purpose: Immunization is one of the simplest and most effective approaches for protecting the health of children from preventable infectious disease. This study assessed the immunization statuses of children presenting to childcare centers in Korea and compared the sociodemographic factors of children with age-appropriate immunization for DTaP4 with those with delayed immunization for DTaP4. Method: A national mail survey was used to collect data on the children's immunization history and sociodemographic information. A total of 248 mothers returned completed questionnaires for their children. Results: The overall immunization coverage for HepB, a series of DTaP and polio and varicella was above 95%. However, the percentage of age-appropriate immunizations of vaccines ranged from 45.3% to 69.0% depending on the vaccines. Only the age of the child was a significant factor for delayed immunization for DTaP4. Conclusion: To fully protect children from vaccine-preventable disease, childcare providers can playa role in monitoring the immunization statuses of children in their care centers to ensure that they all receive all childhood immunizations on time.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.286-295
• /
• 2016

Cellular replicative senescence is a major contributing factor to aging and to the development and progression of aging-associated diseases. In this study, we sought to determine viral replication efficiency of influenza virus (IFV) and Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) infection in senescent cells. Primary human bronchial epithelial cells (HBE) or human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) were allowed to undergo numbers of passages to induce replicative senescence. Induction of replicative senescence in cells was validated by positive senescence-associated b-galactosidase staining. Increased susceptibility to both IFV and VZV infection was observed in senescent HBE and HDF cells, respectively, resulting in higher numbers of plaque formation, along with the upregulation of major viral antigen expression than that in the non-senescent cells. Interestingly, mRNA fold induction level of virus-induced type I interferon (IFN) was attenuated by senescence, whereas IFN-mediated antiviral effect remained robust and potent in virus-infected senescent cells. Additionally, we show that a longevity-promoting gene, sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), has antiviral role against influenza virus infection. In conclusion, our data indicate that enhanced viral replication by cellular senescence could be due to senescence-mediated reduction of virus-induced type I IFN expression.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
• /
• v.8 no.6
• /
• pp.201-207
• /
• 2018

A genome contains all genetic information of an organism. Within a specific species, unique traits appear for each individual, which can be identified by analyzing nucleotide sequences. Many Genome-Wide Associations Studies have been carried out to find genetic associations and cause of diseases from slightly different base among the individuals. It is important to identify occurrence of slight variations for polymorphisms of individuals. In this paper, we introduce an analysis and visualization tool for specific variation pattern identification of polymorphisms in nucleotide sequences and show the validity of the tool by applying it to analyzing nucleotide sequences of subcultured pOka strain of varicella-zoster virus. The tool is expected to help efficiently explore allele frequency variations and genetic factors within a species.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.117-127
• /
• 2016

Purpose: Vaccine evaluation studies were initiated from 2000 by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to produce proper data about the safety and immunogenicity of vaccines. The purpose of this study was to review studies and reports on evaluation of vaccine such as immunogenicity, efficacy, effectiveness, safety and other related topics in order to find and analyze the data on the usefulness of each vaccine. Methods: From 2000 to 2014, the project "The vaccine evaluation" had been performed by several researchers, and studies and reports of vaccine evaluation. We reviewed the results and outcomes of studies regarding the evaluation of vaccine's usefulness and analyzed the possibilities of applying these data for establishing vaccine policies. For each vaccine, data analysis and organization were done according to evaluation fields. Results: A total of 83 studies were performed on vaccines from 2000 to 2014. For each vaccine, 8 studies were performed on BCG, 14 on DTaP/Td, 1 on poliovirus, 5 on Hib, 3 on pneumococcus, 11 on influenza, 3 on hepatitis A, 11 on MMR, 11 on varicella, and 16 on Japanese encephalitis. All studies were analyzed by the following evaluation area, such as safety, immunogenicity, seroprevalence, persistence of immunity, efficacy, effectiveness, vaccine evaluation methods, quality control product for vaccine, and others. Conclusions: Vaccine evaluation studies performed in Korea may be useful as references for establishing vaccination strategy and policy and could be used as baseline data for future studies on vaccine evaluation, vaccine policy establishment, and public/expert vaccine education in Korea.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.80-87
• /
• 1999

Purposes : Renal involvement is a potentially serious complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). There have been only few studies of lupus nephritis in pediatric age. In this study, the clinical manifestations, pathologic findings, response to treatment, and clinical course of lupus nephritis in children were analyzed. And the results will provide basic data for future nation-wide prospective multi-center study. Methods . The medical records of 46 children clinically and pathologically diagnosed to have lupus nephritis at Seoul National University Children's Hospital during 1986 to 1997 were analyzed retrospectively. Results : 1) The median age of diagnosis of lupus nephritis was 12.8 years ($2\;years\~\;15year$ 8months), and the sex ratio was 1:2.5. 2) FANA($85.7\%$), anti-ds-DNA antibody ($78.0\%$), and malar rash ($60.8\%$) were the most common findings among the classification criteria by ARA Decreased C3 was detected in $88.9\%$ of patients. 3) Hematuria ($87.0\%$) was the most common renal symptom, and WHO class IV lupus nephritis was identified in 41 cases by renal biopsy. 4) In most of patients, the disease activity was controlled relatively well with a single or combined therapy of prednisolone, azathioprine, or cyclophosphamide. The response revealed no difference according to the mode of treatment. 5) Infection, especially of Varicella-Zoster virus and candida, was the most common complication during the disease course. Conclusion : The renal involvement was noted in $87.0\%$ of childhood SLE, and $89.1\%$ of renal lesions was WHO class IV lupus nephritis known to associated with poor long-term prognosis. So, aggressive treatment using immunosuppressants in the early disease course may be helpful to increase long-term prognosis of lupus nephritis. A prospective multi-center study is necessary to analyze the therapeutic efficacy of various treatment modalities.