Reduced IgG antibody avidity in organ transplant recipients after varicella-zoster-virus vaccination

Objectives: The present study was designed to investigate the varicella-zoster-virus (VZV) IgG antibody avidity as a marker of memory priming and functional affinity of antibodies in pediatric solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients several years after pre-transplant VZV vaccination. Methods: The serum samples of SOT recipients were evaluated for IgG antibody levels against VZV and IgG antibody avidity. Twenty-eight patients were included in the study (20 had had liver transplantation, 3 heart transplantation, 5 kidney transplantation) and had received a single dose of Varivax (Aventis Pasteur, Lyon, France) pri…