Congenital varicella syndrome: studies of the virus-specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses.

We describe a three-year-old boy with congenital varicella syndrome. Persistent IgG antibodies to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) were detected in the child's sera for a period of more than three years. Immunological studies performed at three months and at three years of age showed a VZV-specific cellular immune response. The results suggest that intrauterine VZV infections in early pregnancy can induce adequate humoral and cellular immune reactions in the infected foetus.