AUTHOR=Sutherland Jeremy P. , Steain Megan , Buckland Michael E. , Rodriguez Michael , Cunningham Anthony L. , Slobedman Barry , Abendroth Allison 

TITLE=Persistence of a T Cell Infiltrate in Human Ganglia Years After Herpes Zoster and During Post-herpetic Neuralgia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2019

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02117

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2019.02117

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a human herpesviruses which causes varicella (chicken pox) during primary infection, establishes latency in sensory ganglia, and  can reactivate from this site to cause herpes zoster (shingles). A major complication of herpes zoster is a severe and often debilitating pain called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) which persists long after the resolution of the herpes zoster-associated rash. The underlying cause of PHN is not known, although it has been postulated that it may be a consequence of immune cell mediated damage. However, the nature of virus-immune cell interactions within ganglia during PHN is unknown. We obtained rare formalin fixed paraffin embedded sections cut from surgically-excised ganglia from a PHN-affected patient years following herpes zoster rash resolution. VZV DNA was readily detected by qPCR and regions of immune infiltration were detected by haematoxylin and eosin staining. Immunostaining using a range of antibodies against immune cell subsets revealed an immune cell response comprising of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and CD20+ B cells. This study explores the immune cell repertoire present in ganglia during PHN and provides evidence for an ongoing immune cell inflammation years after herpes zoster.