Table 2.
Prevalence of Varicella Zoster Virus DNA in Saliva of Immunocompetent Individuals ≥60 Years Old With a History of Zoster, Postherpetic Neuralgia, or No History of Zoster
| Group |
|||
| Measure | Zoster | Postherpetic neuralgia | No history of zoster |
| No. (%) of individuals with saliva positive for VZV DNA | 11/17 (65) | 10/15 (67) | 2/17 (12) |
| No. (%) of saliva samples positive for VZV DNA | 30/119 (25) | 30/105 (28) | 3/119 (2) |
NOTE. The prevalence of varicella zoster virus (VZV) DNA in saliva of subjects with zoster or postherpetic neuralgia compared with age-matched control subjects with no history of zoster was highly significant (P = .001; Fisher exact test).