Antibodies to varicella zoster virus in the cerebrospinal fluid of neonates with seizures.

Four neonates with convulsions had IgG antibodies in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to varicella zoster 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 CSF of 201 neonates with neurological problems. The presence of DNA specific to HSV-1, HSV-2, and VZV in the CSF was also investigated using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antibodies to VZV were detected in the CSF of four neonates. Antibody indices suggested production of VZV specific antibodies in the central nervous system. These findings suggest that intrathecal production of antibodies to VZV can appear in neonates with neurological problems, which suggests that intrauterine VZV infection can be acquired without cutaneous symptoms in the mother.