Skip to main content

Varicella-Zoster Virus Vaccine: Molecular Genetics

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 342))

Abstract

The genetic differences that potentially account for the attenuation of the Oka vaccine VZV preparation are more clearly defined than for perhaps any other vaccine in current use. This is due in large part to the small number of differences between the vaccine and the parental strain from which it was derived, and to the high level of genomic conservation that characterizes VZV. This information has been used with great success to develop methods that discriminate vaccine from wild-type strains, to begin determining which specific vaccine markers contribute to the attenuated phenotype, to improve evaluations of vaccine efficacy and safety, and to observe the behavior of the live, attenuated preparation as it becomes more prevalent through widespread immunization.

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the funding agency.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Argaw T, Cohen JI, Klutch M, Lekstrum K, Yoshikawa T, Asano Y, Krause PR (2000) Nucleotide sequences that distinguish Oka vaccine from parental Oka and other varicella-zoster virus isolates. J Infect Dis 181:1153–1157

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barrett-Muir W, Scott FT, Aaby P, John J, Matondo P, Chaudry QL, Siquera M, Poulsen A, Yamanishi K, Breuer J (2003) Genetic variation of varicella-zoster virus: evidence for geographical separation of strains. J Med Virol 70(Suppl 1):S42–S47

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Breuer J, Schmid DS (2008) Vaccine Oka variants and sequence variability in vaccine-related skin lesions. J Infect Dis 197(Suppl 2):S54–S57

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brisson M, Edmunds WJ, Gay NJ, Law B, De Serres G (2000) Modeling the impact of immunization on the epidemiology of varicella-zoster virus. Epidemiol Infect 125:651–669

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • CDC (1996) Prevention of varicella: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR 45 (RR-11)

    Google Scholar 

  • CDC (1999a) Prevention of varicella: updated recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). M.M.W.R. Recomm. Rep. 48 (No. RR-6)

    Google Scholar 

  • CDC (1999b) Outbreak of varicella among vaccinated children – Michigan, 2003. MMWR 53:389–392

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohrs RJ, Gilden DH, Gomi Y, Yamanishi K, Cohen JI (2006) Comparison of virus transcription during lytic infection of the Oka parental and vaccine strains of varicella-zoster virus. J Virol 80:2076–2082

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Faga KI, Maury W, Bruckner DA, Grose C (2001) Identification and mapping of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the varicella-zoster virus genome. Virology 280:355–363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finger R, Hughes JP, Meade BJ, Pelletier AR, Palmer CT (1994) Age specific incidence of chickenpox. Public Health Rep 109:750–755

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gomi Y, Imagawa T, Takahashi M, Yamanishi K (2000) Oka varicella vaccine is distinguishable from its parental virus in DNA sequence of open reading frame 62 and its transactivation activity. J Med Virol 61:497–503

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gomi Y, Imagawa T, Takahashi M, Yamanishi K (2001) Comparison of DNA sequence and transactivation of open reading frame 62 of Oka varicella vaccine and its parental viruses. Arch Virol (Suppl 17):49–56

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gomi Y, Sunamachi H, Mori Y, Nagaike K, Takahashi M, Yamanishi K (2002) Comparison of the complete DNA sequences of the Oka varicella vaccine and its parental virus. J Virol 76:11447–11459

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guris D, Jumaan AO, Mascola L, Watson BM, Zhang JX, Chaves SS, Gargiullo P, Perella D, Civen R, Seward JF (2008) Changing varicella epidemiology in active surveillance sites – United States, 1995-2000. J Infect Dis 197(Suppl 2):S71–S75

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haberland M, Meyer-König U, Hufert FT (1999) Variation within the glycoprotein B gene of human cytomegalovirus is due to homologous recombination. J Gen Virol 80:1495–1500

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harbecke R, Oxman MN, Arnold BA, Ip C, Johnson GR, Levin MJ, Gelb LD, Schmader KE, Strauss SE, Wang H, Wright PF, Pachucki CT, Gershon AA, Arbeit RD, Davis LE, Simberkoff MS, Weinberg A, Williams HM, Cheney C, Petrukhin L, Abraham KG, Shaw A, Manoff S, Antonello JM, Green T, Wang Y, Tan C, Keller PM, Shingles Prevention Study Group (2009) A real-time PCR assay to identify and discriminate among wild-type and vaccine strains of varicella-zoster virus and herpes simplex virus in clinical specimens, and comparison with the clinical diagnoses. J Med Virol 81:1310–1322

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harpaz R, Ortega-Sanchez IR, Seward JF, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2008) Prevention of herpes zoster: recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices. MMWR Recomm Rep 57(RR-5):1–30

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawrami K, Breuer J (1997) Analysis of United Kingdom wild type strains of varicella-zoster virus: differentiation from the Oka vaccine strain. J Med Virol 53:60–62

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hawrami K, Hart LJ, Pereira F, Argent S, Bannister B, Bovill B, Carrington D, Ogilvie M, Rawstorne S, Tryhorn Y, Breuer J (1997) Molecular epidemiology of varicella-zoster virus in East London, England, between 1971 and 1995. J Clin Microbiol 35:2807–2809

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hayakawa Y, Torigoe S, Shiraki K, Yamanishi K, Takahashi M (1984) Biologic and biophysical markers of a live varicella vaccine strain (Oka): identification of clinical isolates from vaccine recipients. J Infect Dis 149:956–963

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hayakawa Y, Yamamoto T, Yamanishi K, Takahashi M (1986) Analysis of varicella-zoster virus DNAs of clinical isolates by endonuclease HpaI. J Gen Virol 67:1817–1829

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hondo R, Yogo Y, Yoshida M, Fujima A, Itoh S (1989) Distribution of varicella-zoster virus strains carrying a Pst-site-less mutation in Japan and DNA change responsible for the mutation. Jpn J Exp Med 59:233–237

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kemble GW, Annunziato P, Lungu O, Winter RE, Cha T-A, Silverstein SJ, Spaete RR (2000) Open reading frame S/L of varicella-zoster virus encodes a cytoplasmic protein expressed in infected cells. J Virol 74:11311–11321

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koskiniemi M, Lappalainen M, Schmid DS, Rubtcova E, Loparev VN (2007) Genotypic analysis of varicella-zoster virus and its seroprevalence in Finland. Clin Vaccine Immunol 14:1057–1061

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koshizuka T, Yamanishi K, Mori Y (2009) Comparison and characterization of VZV encoded ORF0 of the parental and vaccine strains. 34th International Herpesvirus Workshop, Abstract 1.70

    Google Scholar 

  • LaRussa P, Lungu O, Hardy I, Gershon A, Steinberg SP, Silverstein S (1992) Restriction fragment length polymorphism of polymerase chain reaction products from vaccine and wild type varicella-zoster virus isolates. J Virol 66:1016–1020

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • La Russa P, Steinberg S, Arvin A, Dwyer D, Burgess M, Menegus M, Rekrut K, Yamanishi K, Gershon A (1998) Polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of varicella-zoster virus isolates from the United States and other parts of the world. J Infect Dis 178(Suppl 1):S64–S66

    Google Scholar 

  • Loparev VN, Argaw T, Krause PR, Takayama M, Schmid DS (2000a) Improved identification and differentiation of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) wild-type strains and an attenuated varicella vaccine strain using a VZV open reading frame 62-based PCR. J Clin Microbiol 38:3156–3160

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loparev VN, McCaustland K, Holloway BP, Krause PR, Takayama M, Schmid DS (2000b) Rapid genotyping of varicella-zoster virus vaccine and wild-type strains with fluorophore-labeled hybridization probes. J Clin Microbiol 38:4315–4319

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loparev VN, Gonzalez A, Deleon-Carnes M, Tipple G, Fickenscher H, Torfason EG, Schmid DS (2004) Global identification of three major genotypes of varicella-zoster virus: longitudinal clustering and strategies for genotyping. J Virol 78:8349–8358

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loparev V, Martro E, Rubtcova E, Rodrigo C, Piette JC, Caumes E, Vernant JP, Schmid DS, Fillet AM (2006) Toward universal varicella-zoster virus genotyping: diversity of VZV strains from France and Spain. J Clin Microbiol 45:559–563

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loparev VN, Rubtcova EN, Bostik V, Govil D, Birch CJ, Druce JD, Schmid DS, Croxson MC (2007a) Identification of five major and two minor genotypes of varicella-zoster virus strains: a practical two-amplicon approach used to genotype clinical isolates in Australia and New Zealand. J Virol 81:12758–12765

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loparev VN, Rubtcova E, Seward JF, Levin MJ, Schmid DS (2007b) DNA sequence variability in isolates recovered from patients with postvaccination rash or herpes zoster caused by Oka varicella vaccine. J Infect Dis 195:502–510

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loparev VN, Rubtcova EN, Bostik V, Tzaneva V, Sauerbrei A, Robo A, Sattler-Dornbacher E, Hanovcova I, Stepanova V, Splino M, Eremin V, Koskiniemi M, Vankova OE, Schmid DS (2009) Distribution of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) wild type genotypes in northern and Southern Europe: evidence for high conservation of circulating genotypes. Virology 383:216–225

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lopez AS, Guris D, Zimmerman L, Gladden L, Moore T, Haselow DT, Loparev VN, Schmid DS, Jumaan AO, Snow SL (2006) One dose of varicella vaccine does not prevent school outbreaks: is it time for a second dose? Pediatrics 117:e1070–e1077

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lopez AS, Burnett-Hartman A, Nambiar R, Ritz L, Owens P, Loparev VN, Guris D, Schmid DS (2008) Transmission of a newly characterized strain of varicella-zoster virus from a patient with herpes zoster in a long-term-care facility, West Virginia, 2004. J Infect Dis 197:646–653

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marin M, Guris D, Chaves SS, Schmid S, Seward JF (2007) Prevention of varicella: recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP). MMWR Recom Rep 56 (RR-4):1–37

    Google Scholar 

  • McGeoch D (2009) Lineages of varicella-zoster virus. J Gen Virol 90:963–969

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Midgley RS, Blake NW, Yao QY, Croom-Carter D, Cheung ST, Leung SF, Chan ATC, Johnson PJ, Huang D, Rickenson AB, Lee SP (2000) Novel intertypic recombinants of Epstein Barr virus in the Chinese population. J Virol 74:1544–1548

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mori C, Takahara R, Toriyama T, Nagai T, Takahashi M, Yamanishi K (1998) Identification of the Oka strain of the live attenuated varicella vaccine from other clinical isolates by molecular epidemiologic analysis. J Infect Dis 178:35–38

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muir WB, Nichols R, Breuer J (2002) Phylogenetic analysis of varicella-zoster virus: evidence of intercontinental spread of genotypes and recombination. J Virol 76:1971–1979

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Neve B, Froguel P, Corset L, Valliant E, Vatin V, Boutin P (2002) Rapid SNP allele frequency determination in genomic DNA pools by pyrosequencing. Biotechniques 32:1138–1142

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Norberg P, Kasubi MJ, Haarr L, Bergström T, Liljeqvist JA (2007) Divergence and recombination of clinical herpes simplex virus type 2 isolates. J Virol 81:13158–13167

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Norberg P, Liljeqvist J-Å, Bergström T, Sammons S, Schmid DS, Loparev VN (2006) Complete-genome phylogenetic approach to varicella-zoster virus evolution: genetic divergence and evidence for recombination. J Virol 80:9569–9576

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ogino S, Kawasaki T, Brahmandam M, Yan L, Cantor M, Namgyal C, Mino-Kenudson M, Lauwers GY, Loda M, Fuchs CS (2005) Sensitive sequencing method for KRAS mutation detection by pyrosequencing. J Mol Diagn 7:413–421

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Oxman MN, Levin MJ, Johnson GR, Schmader KE, Straus SE, Gelb LD, Arbeit RD, Simberkoff MS, Gershon AA, Davis LE, Weinberg A, Boardman KD, Williams HM, Zhang JH, Peduzzi PN, Beisel CE, Morrison VA, Guatelli JC, Brooks PA, Kauffman CA, Pachucki CT, Neuzil KM, Betts RF, Wright PF, Griffin MR, Brunell P, Soto NE, Marques AR, Keay SK, Goodman RP, Cotton DJ, Jr Gnann JW, Loutit J, Holodniy M, Keitel WA, Crawford GE, Yeh SS, Lobo Z, Toney JF, Greenberg RN, Keller PM, Harbecke R, Hayward AR, Irwin MR, Kyriakides TC, Chan CY, Chan IS, Wang WW, Annunziato PW, Silber JL, Shingles Prevention Study Group (2005) A vaccine to prevent herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia in older adults. N Engl J Med 352:2271–2284

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parker SP, Quinlivan M, Taha Y, Breuer J (2006) Genotyping of varicella-zoster virus and the discrimination of Oka vaccine strains by TaqMan real-time PCR. J Clin Microbiol 44:3911–3914

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peters GA, Tyler SD, Grose C, Severini A, Gray MJ, Upton C, Tipples GA (2006) A full genome phylogenetic analysis of varicella-zoster virus reveals a novel origin of replication-based genotyping scheme and evidence of recombination between major circulating clades. J Virol 80:9850–9860

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Poole LJ, Zong J-C, Ciufo DM, Alcendor DJ, Cannon JS, Ambinder R, Orenstein JM, Reitz MS, Hayward GS (1999) Comparison of genetic variability at multiple loci across the genomes of the major subtypes of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus reveals evidence for recombination and for two distinct types of open reading frame K15 alleles at the right-hand end. J Virol 73:6646–6660

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Quinlivan M, Hawrami K, Barrett-Muir W, Aaby P, Arvin A, Chow VT, John TJ, Matondo P, Peiris M, Poulson A, Siqueira M, Takahashi M, Talukder Y, Yamanishi K, Leedham-Cross M, Scott FT, Thomas SL, Breuer J (2002) The molecular epidemiology of varicella-zoster virus: evidence for geographic segregation. J Infect Dis 186:888–894

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Quinlivan ML, Gershon AA, Steinberg SP, Breuer J (2004) Rashes occurring after immunization with a mixture of viruses in the Oka vaccine are derived from single clones of virus. J Infect Dis 190:793–796

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Quinlivan MA, Gershon AA, Nichols RA, LaRussa P, Steinberg SP, Breuer J (2006) Vaccine Oka varicella-zoster virus genotypes are monomorphic in single vesicles and polymorphic in respiratory tract secretions. J Infect Dis 193:927–930

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sauerbrei A, Wutzler P (2007) Different genotype pattern of varicella-zoster virus obtained from patients with varicella and zoster in Germany. J Med Virol 79:1025–1031

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sauerbrei A, Rubtcova E, Wutzler P, Schmid DS, Loparev VN (2004) Genetic profile of an Oka vaccine variant isolated from an infant with zoster. J Clin Microbiol 42:5604–5608

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sauerbrei A, Zell R, Wutzler P (2007) Analysis of the repeat units in the R2 among different Oka varicella-zoster virus vaccine strains and wild type strains in Germany. Intervirology 50:40–44

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmid DS, V Bostik, J Folster, N Jensen, P Norberg, B Bankamp, K Hummel (2008) 33rd international herpesvirus workshop. Evidence for recombination between Oka vaccine and wild type strains among clinical varicella-zoster virus (VZV) isolates. Abstr 803

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt-Chanasit J, Olschläger S, Günther S, Jaeger G, Bleymehl K, Schäd SG, Heckel G, Ulrich RG, Doerr HW (2008) Molecular analysis of varicella-zoster virus strains circulating in Tanzania demonstrating the presence of genotype Clade 5. J Clin Microbiol 46:3540–3543

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sengupta N, Taha Y, Scott FT, Leedham-Green ME, Quinlivan M, Breuer J (2007) Varicella zoster genotypes in East London: a prospective study in patients with herpes zoster. J Infect Dis 196:1014–1020

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sergeev N, Rubtcova E, Chizikov V, Schmid DS, Loparev VN (2006) New mosaic subgenotype of varicella-zoster virus in the USA: VZV detection and genotyping by oligonucleotide-microarray. J Virol Methods 136:8–16

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seward JF, Watson BM, Peterson CL, Mascola L, Pelosi JW, Zhang JX, Maupin TJ, Goldman GS, Tabony LJ, Brodovicz KG, Jumaan AO, Wharton M (2002) Varicella disease after introduction of varicella vaccine in the United States, 1995–2000. JAMA 287:606–611

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shiraki K, Horiuchi K, Asano Y, Yamanishi K, Takahashi M (1991) Differentia-tion of Oka varicella vaccine strain from wild varicella zoster virus strains isolated from vaccinees and household contact. J Med Virol 33:128–132

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Silvertsson Å, Plantz A, Hansson J, Lundeberg J (2002) Pyrosequencing as an alternative to single strand conformation polymorphism analysis for detection of N-ras mutations in human melanoma metastases. Clin Chem 48:2164–2170

    Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi M, Otsuka T, Okuno Y, Asano Y, Yazaki T (1974) Live vaccine used to prevent the spread of varicella in children in hospital. Lancet 2:1288–1290

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tipples GA, Safronetz D, Gray M (2003) A real-time PCR assay for the detection of varicella-zoster virus DNA and differentiation of vaccine, wild-type and control strains. J Virol Methods 113:113–116

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Toi CS, Dwyer DE (2008) Differentiation between vaccine and wild-type varicella-zoster virus genotypes by high-resolution melt analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms. J Clin Virol 43:18–24

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Umene K, Oohashi S, Yoshida M, Fukumaki Y (2008) Diversity of the a sequence of herpes simplex virus type 1 developed during evolution. J Gen Virol 89:841–852

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wagenaar T, Chow VTK, Buranathai C, Thawasupha P, Grose C (2003) The out of Africa model of varicella-zoster virus evolution: single nucleotide polymorphisms and private alleles distinguish Asian clades from European/North American clades. Vaccine 21:1072–1081

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walling DM, Perkins AG, Webster-Cyriaque J, Resnick L, Raab-Traub N (1994) The Epstein-Barr virus EBNA-2 gene in oral hairy leukoplakia: strain variation, genetic recombination, and transcriptional expression. J Virol 68:7918–7926

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wharton M (1996) The epidemiology of varicella-zoster virus infections. Infect Dis Clin North Am 10:571–581

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yawn BP, Yawn RA, Lydick E (2003) Community impact of childhood varicella infections. J Pediatr 130:759–765

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Z, Rowe J, Wang W, Sommer M, Arvin A, Moffat J, Zhu H (2007) Genetic analysis of varicella-zoster virus ORF0 to ORF4 by use of a novel luciferase bacterial artificial chromosome system. J Virol 81:9024–9033

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. Scott Schmid .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Schmid, D.S. (2010). Varicella-Zoster Virus Vaccine: Molecular Genetics. In: Abendroth, A., Arvin, A., Moffat, J. (eds) Varicella-zoster Virus. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 342. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/82_2010_14

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics