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Varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes varicella (chickenpox) after which virus becomes latent in ganglia along the entire neuraxis. Virus reactivation produces zoster (shingles). Infectious VZV is found in vesicles of patients with zoster and varicella, but virus shed in the absence of disease has not been documented. VZV DNA was previously detected in saliva of astronauts during and after spaceflight, a uniquely stressful environment in which cell mediated immunity (CMI) is temporally dampened. The decline in CMI to VZV associated with zoster led to the hypothesis that infectious VZV would also be present in the saliva of astronauts subjected to stress of spaceflight. Herein, not only was the detection of salivary VZV DNA associated with spaceflight validated, but also infectious virus was detected in saliva from 2 of 3 astronauts. This is the first demonstration of shed of infectious VZV in the absence of disease. J. Med. Virol. 80:1116-1122, 2008
Fifty-four patients with herpes zoster were treated with valacyclovir. On treatment days 1, 8, and 15, pain was scored and saliva examined for varicella-zoster virus (VZV) DNA. VZV DNA was found in every patient the day treatment was started and later disappeared in 82%. There was a positive correlation between the presence of VZV DNA and pain and between VZV DNA copy number and pain (P<.0005). VZV DNA was present in 1patient before rash and in 4 after pain resolved and was not present in any of 6 subjects with chronic pain or in 14 healthy subjects. Analysis of human saliva has potential usefulness in the diagnosis of neurological disease produced by VZV without rash. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 2008;197:654-7
This task addresses the need to understand the effects of spaceflight on human immunity. This task directly addresses the risks associated with infectious diseases since all of the latent viruses studied are infectious disease risks. VZV is a specific risk to the astronaut age group. In addition, the risks associated with decreased immunity during spaceflight has been hampered from the beginning in the technical difficulties that prevent inflight analyses. The viral reactivation task allows assessment of immune status (especially cell-mediated immunity) during the flight phase by collection of saliva during space flight.
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Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals
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Satyaprakash AK, Tremaine AM, Stelter AA, Creed R, Ravanfar P, Mendoza N, Mehta SK, Rady PL, Pierson DL, Tyring SK. "Viremia in acute Herpes zoster." Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2009 Jul 1;200(1):26-32. PubMed PMID: 19469706 , Jul-2009
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Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals
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Zhang Y, Rohde LH, Emami K, Hammond D, Casey R, Mehta SK, Jeevarajan AS, Pierson DL, Wu H. "Suppressed expression of non-DSB repair genes inhibits gamma-radiation-induced ctyogenic repair and cell cycle arrest." DNA Repair (Amst). 2008 Nov 1;7(11):1835-45. PMID: 18703169 , Nov-2008
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Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals
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Crucian BE, Stowe RP, Mehta SK, Yetman DL, Leal MJ, Quiriarte HD, Pierson DL, Sams CF. "Immune status, latent viral reactivation, and stress during long-duration head-down bed rest." Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine. 2009 May;80(5 Suppl):A37-44. PubMed PMID: 1947616 , May-2009
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Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals
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Cohrs RJ, Mehta SK, Schmid DS, Gilden DH, Pierson DL. "Asymptomatic reactivation and shed of infectious varicella zoster virus in astronauts." J Med Virol. 2008 Jun;80(6):1116-22. PMID: 18428120 , Jun-2008
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Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals
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Mehta SK, Tyring SK, Gilden DH, Cohrs RJ, Leal MJ, Castro VA, Feiveson AH, Ott CM, Pierson DL. "Varicella-zoster virus in the saliva of patients with herpes zoster." J Infect Dis. 2008 Mar 1;197(5):654-7. PMID: 18260763 , Mar-2008
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Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals
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Mehta SK, Crucian B, Pierson DL, Sams C, Stowe RP. "Monitoring immune system function and reactivation of latent viruses in the Artificial Gravity Pilot Study." J Gravit Physiol. 2007 Jul;14(1):P21-5. PMID: 18372687 , Jul-2007
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Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals
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Stowe RP, Yetman DL, Storm WF, Sams CF, Pierson DL. "Neuroendocrine and immune responses to 16-day bed rest with realistic launch and landing G profiles." Aviat Space Environ Med. 2008 Feb;79(2):117-22.
PMID: 18309909 , Feb-2008
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Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals
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Mehta SK, Pierson DL. "Reactivation of latent herpes viruses in cosmonauts during a Soyuz taxi mission." Microgravity - Science and Technology 2007 Sep;19(5-6):215-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02919485 , Sep-2007
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Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals
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Mehta SK, Laudenslager ML, Stowe RP, Crucian BE, Sams CF, Pierson DL. "Multiple latent viruses reactivate in astronauts during Space Shuttle missions." Brain Behav Immun. 2014 Oct;41:210-7. Epub 2014 Jun 2. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2014.05.014 ;
PubMed PMID: 24886968 , Oct-2014
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Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals
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Mehta SK, Laudenslager ML, Stowe RP, Crucian BE, Feiveson AH, Sams CF, Pierson DL.
"Latent virus reactivation in astronauts on the International Space Station." npj Microgravity. 2017 Apr 11;3(1):11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41526-017-0015-y , Apr-2017
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Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals
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Rooney BV, Crucian BE, Pierson DL, Laudenslager ML, Mehta SK. "Herpes virus reactivation in astronauts during spaceflight and its application on Earth." Front Microbiol. 2019 Feb 7;10:16. Review. eCollection 2019. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00016 ; PubMed PMID: 30792698; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6374706 , Feb-2019
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Books/Book Chapters
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Pierson DL, Mehta SK, Stowe RP. "Reactivation of Latent Herpes Viruses in Astronauts." in "Psychoneuroimmunology. 4th edition." Ed. R. Ader. Amsterdam ; Boston : Elsevier/Academic Press, c2007. vol II, p. 851-868., Aug-2007
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Books/Book Chapters
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Mehta SK, Pierson DL. "Artificial Gravity and the Immune System Function." in "Artificial gravity." Ed. G. Clement, A. Bukley. Hawthorne, Calif. : Microcosm Press ; New York : Springer, c2007., Sep-2007
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Patents
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US patent application 61/087,045. US patent application # 61/087,045 was filed on August 7, 2008. Aug-2008 Pierson DL. "Methods for diagnosis of Varicella zoster virus infection."
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