[Varicella-zoster virus infection and the serologic determination of first-infection immunity]

The infection rate of varicella-zoster virus was determined by three tests--complement fixation reaction, enzyme-immune test and indirect immunofluorescence. The results of the three tests largely agreed with one another in demonstrating that infection starts relatively late in young children, but reaches 60%-70% at the end of the first decade of life, 90% at the end of the second decade. Results of both the enzyme immune and the indirect immunofluorescence tests indicated persistence of first-infection immunity until the older age groups. The complement fixation reaction deviated in its results, especially for the oldest age groups.