Use of irradiated lymphocytes from immune donors for treatment of disseminated varicella.

Four children with acute lymphocytic leukemia who had disseminated varicella were treated with infusions of apheresed, irradiated lymphocytes from healthy donors who had recently recovered from infection with varicella-zoster virus. Each patient had cessation of new lesion formation and umbilication of old lesions within 24 hours of the first lymphocyte transfusion. There were no side effects attributable to the infusions. A controlled trial of infusions of irradiated lymphocytes should be considered for treatment of disseminated infection with varicella-zoster virus in immunocompromised hosts.