Varicella zoster virus transcription in latently-infected human ganglia.

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes childhood chickenpox, becomes latent in cranial, dorsal root and autonomic ganglia, and can reactivate decades later to cause shingles and other serious neurological complications. Herein, we summarize investigations conducted over the past decade that have identified virus genes expressed in latently-infected human ganglia. A model of VZV gene regulation during latent infection was tested and future directions in the study of VZV latency are discussed.