Possible Mechanisms for Maintaining Immunity to Varicella-Zoster Virus: Clinical Observations

A woman developed zoster one month following the birth of twins. Although the twins were not infected, their 4-year-old sibling developed varicella following exposure to their mother. The twins were probably protected against varicella by maternal antibody. It would appear, therefore, that the rate of maternal antibody synthesis at delivery was adequate to protect the twins against exogenous infection but it was not adequate to neutralize activated latent varicella-zoster virus and prevent the occurrence of maternal zoster.