Background: Reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV) is more common in patients with malignancies; however, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this susceptibility are unclear.
Methods: Using ex vivo interferon-gamma ELISpot assays, we set out to analyse VZV-specific immune responses in a large cohort of patients with malignancies.
Results: We observed that patients with malignancies had impaired VZV-specific T-cell responses, particularly in those with haematological malignancies and breast carcinoma. Immediate-early protein 63 (IE63)-specific T-cell responses were significantly impaired in those with subclinical VZV re-activation.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that T-cell responses to IE63 are important in controlling VZV replication.