THE VARICELLA-ZOSTER VIRUS - A PILOT TRIAL OF A POTENTIAL THERAPEUTICAGENT IN MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS

There are a number of similarities in the geographic, latitudinal, and epidemiological features of multiple sclerosis (MS) and varicella (V) . In the experimental model of MS, repeated high antigen doses (myelin basic protein) have deleted both the clinical and pathological manife stations of the disease. Therefore, it seemed appropriate to explore t he effects of varicella tester vaccine on patients with MS. Fifty pati ents with chronic progressive MS were vaccinated with attenuated varic ella virus vaccine and followed for one year. Fourteen patients improv ed, four became worse, and twenty-nine were unchanged. All patients we re seropositive for varicella before vaccination and all had a rise in varicella antibodies after the vaccinations. There were no major unto ward results from the vaccine. Four patients developed mild chicken-po x after vaccination. This was a short-term pilot trial without control subjects. Thus, the apparently favourable clinical and magnetic imagi ng changes must be assessed with caution, as must the lack of adverse effects. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.