ABSTRACT
The model for chickenpox is based on the schema for the pathogenesis of mousepox, which was initially described by the Australian virologist F. Fenner. The number of deaths in chickenpox of infancy was examined in greater detail for the 15 year period of 1968 to 1982. This chapter discusses Neonatal chickenpox because its various manifestations can be correlated with a dual viremic pathogenetic schema. It describes properties of the genomic Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV). One of the most serious manifestations of the extracutaneous replication of virus is varicella pneumonitis. A major structural protein of similar molecular weight has been found in nearly all herpesviruses studied to date. At least 3 prominent glycosylated proteins were also detected in the purified VZV virion preparation. The chapter reviews these structural glycoproteins. Because the VZV late gene products have been most extensively characterized to date, this review emphasizes structural VZV glycoproteins and proteins.
