Berger R, Luescher D, Just M, D'Hondt E, Bogaert H
Postgrad Med J. 1985;61 Suppl 4:137-41.
A crude varicella skin-test antigen corresponding to an inactivated partly-purified high-titre varicella Oka-strain vaccine was prepared at Smith Kline-RIT. It was used for a delayed hypersensitivity skin test in 60 healthy adults for determination of their immune status. The findings were analysed according to the presence or absence of humoral antibodies to varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and of a specific cell-mediated immune (CMI) response as measured by the VZV-specific lymphocyte transformation test. The immune status to varicella could be determined in all subjects provided that the amount of antigenic material in the skin-test antigen was sufficiently high. The 2 tests for the CMI response, the delayed hypersensitivity skin test and the lymphocyte transformation test, gave concordant results in both seropositive and seronegative individuals. The inactivated skin-test antigen cannot replace vaccination with the live varicella vaccine since it is unable to induce seroconversion in seronegatives or an antibody booster response in seropositives. Furthermore, seropositive and seronegative subjects showing a negative response to the varicella-zoster-specific lymphocyte transformation test remained negative 2 weeks after the injection of the skin-test antigen.
史克必成-里特公司制备了一种与灭活的部分纯化高滴度水痘Oka株疫苗相对应的粗制水痘皮肤试验抗原。该抗原用于对60名健康成年人进行迟发型超敏反应皮肤试验，以确定他们的免疫状态。根据是否存在针对水痘带状疱疹病毒（VZV）的体液抗体以及通过VZV特异性淋巴细胞转化试验测量的特异性细胞介导免疫（CMI）反应来分析结果。只要皮肤试验抗原中的抗原物质含量足够高，就可以在所有受试者中确定其对水痘的免疫状态。CMI反应的两项测试，即迟发型超敏反应皮肤试验和淋巴细胞转化试验，在血清阳性和血清阴性个体中均给出了一致的结果。灭活的皮肤试验抗原不能替代活水痘疫苗接种，因为它无法在血清阴性者中诱导血清转化，也无法在血清阳性者中诱导抗体增强反应。此外，对水痘带状疱疹特异性淋巴细胞转化试验呈阴性反应的血清阳性和血清阴性受试者，在注射皮肤试验抗原2周后仍保持阴性。
