Inversion of T-Cell Subsets before Herpes Zoster Infection

To the Editor: Inversion of T-cell-subset (helper/suppressor) populations has been noted in many viral infections, 1 2 3 4 5 as well as in lepromatous leprosy 6 and malaria. 7 An increase in suppressor/cytotoxic T cells in acute herpes zoster infection, leading to T-subset inversion was reported by Arneborn and Biberfeld in 1983. 8 We now report that abnormalities in the T-cell subsets can immediately precede the onset of acute herpes zoster in an otherwise healthy person. As part of a laboratory evaluation, T-cell subsets (T4/T8) were measured in a 24-year-old laboratory worker five times during an 18-month period (October 1983, December 1983, January 1985, February 1985, and . . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.