Correlation of a reported history of chickenpox with seropositive immunity in pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate to what degree a positive verbal history of prior chickenpox infection correlates with current immunity.

STUDY DESIGN

Patients presenting for prenatal registration at Naval Medical Center, San Diego, from January through June 2002 were candidates to participate in the study. Each patient was asked about her personal history of chickenpox. A blood sample was then obtained for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay IgG antibody test.

RESULTS

Results were obtained on 1,085 patients. Of the 940 evaluable patients who reported a positive history of varicella, 904 (96.2%) were serologically immune; 21 (2.2%) of them had a negative antibody titer, and 15 (1.6%) of them had an equivocal titer. The overall seronegativity rate was 4.14% for all patients enrolled.

CONCLUSION

There is a strong correlation between a reported history of chickenpox and serum immunity. Universal screening does not seem necessary, but education of susceptible individuals is warranted.