{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T12:09:17Z","timestamp":1771502957017,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,6]],"date-time":"2021-08-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1628208000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003196","name":"Ministero della Salute","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Ricerca Corrente 80207"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Ricerca Corrente 80207"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003196","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Solid organ transplant recipients, due to the administration of post-transplant immunosuppressive therapies, are at greater risk of viral reactivation episodes, mainly from herpes viruses, including varicella-zoster virus (VZV). The aim of this pilot study was to develop functional immunological assays (VZV-ELISpot) for the quantification and characterization of the VZV-specific effector-memory and central-memory responses in healthy subjects and transplanted patients. Glycoprotein gE and immediate-early 63 (IE-63) were used as antigens for in vitro stimulation. VZV-seropositive healthy subjects showed higher responses in respect to seronegative subjects. Even if differences were observed between VZV-seropositive healthy subjects and transplanted subjects at pre-transplant, the VZV-specific T-cell response was reduced at 60 days after transplant, mainly for the high level of immunosuppression. Phenotypical characterization revealed that response against VZV was mainly mediated by CD4 T cells. The results obtained in this study might be useful for the definition of personalized follow-up of the transplanted patients, providing useful information on the status of the patient potentially at risk of viral reactivation or other opportunistic infections.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines9080875","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,8]],"date-time":"2021-08-08T21:35:40Z","timestamp":1628458540000},"page":"875","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["Characterization of Varicella-Zoster (VZV) Specific T Cell Response in Healthy Subjects and Transplanted Patients by Using Enzyme Linked Immunospot (ELISpot) Assays"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3385-2088","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Irene","family":"Cassaniti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2397-7079","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandro","family":"Ferrari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giuditta","family":"Comolli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"},{"name":"Laboratory of Biochemistry-Biotechnology and Advanced Diagnostics, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Antonella","family":"Sarasini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marilena","family":"Gregorini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Teresa","family":"Rampino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7747-7622","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniele","family":"Lilleri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fausto","family":"Baldanti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3122","DOI":"10.1002\/art.38804","article-title":"Altered cellular and humoral immunity to varicella-zoster virus in patients with autoimmune diseases","volume":"66","author":"Rondaan","year":"2014","journal-title":"Arthritis Rheumatol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1089","DOI":"10.1089\/aid.2010.0340","article-title":"Varicella-zoster virus-specific cell-mediated immune responses in HIV-infected adults","volume":"27","author":"Carmagnat","year":"2011","journal-title":"AIDS Res. 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