Approved Research

Identifying genetic susceptibility factors for developing herpes zoster (HZ).

Lay summary

Chickenpox is a consequence of infection of varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Afterwards, VZV remains dormant in neurons until awakening which causes the painful rash called shingles. Although we know certain aspects of why 1/3 of the population develops HZ, such as ageing and declining immunity, much remains unknown. Given the familial clustering of HZ, we hypothesize that specific genetic risk factors have an effect on the risk of developing HZ. With this project we would like to identify the genetic susceptibility for HZ. These results might affect the treatment options for this disease.