ANTIBODIES TO VARICELLA-ZOSTER VIRUS IN THE CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID OF NEONATES WITH SEIZURES

Four neonates with convulsions had IgG antibodies in their cerebrospin al fluid (CSF) to varicella tester virus (VZV). These antibodies were found in the sera of two of these patients after the age of 6 months. Antibodies to 16 different microbes were studied from the serum and CS F of 201 neonates with neurological problems. The presence of DNA spec ific to HSV-1, HSV-2, and VZV in the CSF was also investigated using t he polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antibodies to VZV were detected in the CSF of four neonates. Antibody indices suggested production of VZ V specific antibodies in the central nervous system. These findings su ggest that intrathecal production of antibodies to VZV can appear in n eonates with neurological problems, which suggests that intrauterine V ZV infection can be acquired without cutaneous symptoms in the mother.