Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV)-Specific Cytotoxicity after Immunization of Nonimmune Adults with Oka Strain Attenuated VZV Vaccine

Cytotoxic, proliferative, and serum IgG antibody responses to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) were measured monthly in 29 young adults for 3 months following primary immunization with the Oka strain attenuated VZV vaccine. No subjects had lymphocytes stimulated to VZV-specifie cytotoxicity at study entry although lymphocytes from 2 subjects proliferated when stimulated by VZV antigen. The percentages of subjects with positive major histocompatibility complex class II-restricted cytotoxic responses at 1,2, and 3 months after immunization were 54%, 69%, and 66%, respectively. Correlations between cytotoxic, proliferative, and antibody responses were highest in the first month after immunization; lower but still statistically significant after the second month; and not apparent by the third month. The data suggest that antibody and cell-mediated immune responses to VZV immunization develop in parallel after immunization, but these effector mechanisms are independently regulated by 3 months after immunization.