VARICELLA-ZOSTER VIRUS (VZV) TRANSCRIPTION DURING LATENCY IN HUMAN GANGLIA - PREVALENCE OF VZV GENE-21 TRANSCRIPTS IN LATENTLY INFECTED HUMAN GANGLIA

Reverse transcriptase-linked PCR was used to determine the prevalence of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) gene 21 transcription in latently infe cted human ganglia. Under conditions wherein reverse transcriptase-lin ked PCR detected greater than or equal to 1,000 transcripts, VZV gene 21 RNA, but not VZV gene 40 RNA, was found in ganglia but not other ti ssues from five of seven humans.