Seroprevalence of Varicella zoster virus antibody among young women before marriage in Sanandaj, Iran

• Main Authors: Parviz Majidy, Mazaher Khodabandehloo, Nammam Ali Azadi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2016-05-01
• Series: Iranian Journal of Microbiology
• Subjects: Varicella Zoster Virus; chickenpox; seroprevalence; antibody; women
• Online Access: https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/157

Background and Objectives: Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) infection in pregnant women can cause complications for the mother and fetus. The aim of this study was to assess the immunity against VZV among young women before marriage. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study 250 of women referring to health centers in Sanandaj, Iran, for pre-marital medical check-up were selected. The VZV IgG was measured by ELISA and demographic characteristics including age, place of residence, number of siblings, occupation, education and history of chickenpox were also collected. Data were analyzed using the R statistical package. To investigate the potential relationship between the variables Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used. Results: Out of 250 women, 178 (71.2%) were diagnosed as antibody positive and 72 (28.8%) as negative. The immunity increased with the individual’s age group (P < 0.0001) and the number of siblings (P = 0.03). Significant association was observed between the history of chickenpox and immunity (P < 0.001). The positive and negative predictive values of self-reported history of chickenpox obtained 94.60% and 49.25%, respectively. Conclusions: Noticeable percentages of women were susceptible to VZV, therefore during pregnancy are at risk of infection and possibility of the fetus abnormalities. Screening the immunity and further studies on the need of vaccination before marriage is suggested.