[Rapid diagnosis of infections caused by the chickenpox-herpes zoster viruses].

A diagnostic preparation for the indirect hemagglutination test (IHA) was obtained by sensitization of fixed tannin-treated sheep erythrocytes with IgG-fractions from human herpes zoster convalescent sera. A high specificity of the preparation was established in comparative experiments. It could detect the varicella-herpes-zoster virus antigen in 100% of specimens from patients. The IHA test with this erythrocyte diagnostic preparation is simple, economic, gives the results within 1-1 1/2 hours after the specimens arrive in the laboratory. A great advantage of this test ipesviruses.