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Varicella Zoster

Varicella zoster (HHV3): antibodies against the herpesvirus of chickenpox and shingles

Q: Is shingles contagious?

According to Thuisarts, the varicella zoster virus from shingles blisters can pass to other people, because after touching the blisters there can be virus on the hands. According to Thuisarts, babies and toddlers, for example, can get chickenpox from it, and not shingles.

According to the LCI guideline, the varicella zoster virus belongs to the herpesvirus family, with the rarely used official name human herpesvirus 3 (HHV3). After chickenpox, the first infection with this virus, the immune system forms IgG antibodies; the LCI guideline treats their presence in serum as proof of a past infection.

According to the LCI guideline, the virus spreads through droplets and through the air, and also through contact with the fluid from the blisters of someone with chickenpox or shingles. According to Thuisarts, someone without antibodies can still get chickenpox, and only a blood test shows whether those antibodies are there.

At Diagnostiek voor U a VZV IgG below 150 mIU/mL counts as negative, while Unilabs lists no reference value for this test and leaves it to regional medical microbiology laboratories.

Doctor's Assessment Included

Varicella zoster IgG are antibodies against the varicella zoster virus, the virus of chickenpox and shingles, and according to the LCI guideline their presence shows a past infection. According to Thuisarts, anyone with antibodies can no longer get chickenpox.

Diagnostiek voor U calls a VZV IgG below 150 mIU/mL negative; the LCI guideline gives a cut-off for immunity of 100 IU/l or 150 IU/l, depending on the test and the standard serum.
According to the LCI guideline, a negative history of chickenpox in adults still shows VZV antibodies in 43 to 75 percent of cases.
According to the LCI guideline, checking the VZV serostatus in the first trimester is strongly recommended for pregnant women with a negative or unclear history.

Varicella Zoster: what Dutch laboratories use

There is no nationally agreed reference value; this is what individual laboratories publish.

Reference ranges by group, in mIU/mL
Laboratory	Group	Reference value (mIU/mL)	Relative scale
Diagnostiek voor U	· Everyone · a limit, not a range · negative	< 150 mIU/mL	150

0 165 mIU/mL

Source: Diagnostiek voor U

Each value as the laboratory itself publishes it, retrieved in 2026.

Varicella Zoster: what this test measures

A VZV IgG test measures antibodies against the varicella zoster virus, and according to the LCI guideline their presence shows a past infection. For active chickenpox or shingles, according to the LCI guideline, a PCR test on blister fluid is the first choice when in doubt. According to the LCI guideline, an IgM test has a limited role in a suspected acute infection or reactivation, because its sensitivity and specificity are limited. At Diagnostiek voor U a VZV IgG result is reported in mIU/mL.

Varicella Zoster: why this value matters

Varicella zoster antibodies count because the virus spreads very easily: according to the LCI guideline, the secondary attack rate of chickenpox is 61 to 100 percent, the share of susceptible contacts who get chickenpox after exposure. The LCI guideline also gives people aged 12 and over a higher complication risk than children under 12.

Varicella Zoster: how the blood test works

Referral: No GP referral needed. After the order we arrange the referral through ZorgDomein, within one business day; orders after 17:00 or at the weekend start on the next business day. ZorgDomein emails a barcode, and that barcode is what the draw site needs.
The draw: A blood draw from a vein in the arm, at a partner laboratory's draw site. No home kit, no finger prick.
Where: 650+ draw sites run by independent laboratories across the Netherlands. Draw sites

Varicella Zoster: when is testing worthwhile?

According to Thuisarts, a VZV IgG test can sometimes find out whether someone who is not sure whether they have had chickenpox can still get it. According to the LCI guideline, in the (sub)tropics the share of children with antibodies at age 12 is lower than in areas with a temperate climate, where more than 95 percent of 12-year-olds have had chickenpox.

Varicella Zoster: symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

With a negative VZV IgG, the measured amount of antibodies against the varicella zoster virus lies below the limit a laboratory calls negative, at Diagnostiek voor U 150 mIU/mL. According to Thuisarts, someone without antibodies can still get chickenpox. According to the LCI guideline, chickenpox is contagious from 2 days before the rash until the last blisters have dried; according to the LCI guideline the scabs are not contagious.

High Levels

According to the LCI guideline, VZV IgG antibodies present in serum show a past infection, and according to the LCI guideline the virus then stays latent in the sensory ganglia, nerve clusters next to the spinal cord. If the virus becomes active again, shingles develops, with itching, pain, spots and blisters that according to Thuisarts usually sit on one side of the body.

Varicella Zoster: causes of a low or high value

What lowers the value

Never had chickenpox

A blood test for antibodies shows whether someone has had chickenpox; anyone without antibodies can still get chickenpox.
Grew up in the (sub)tropics

In areas with a temperate climate more than 95 percent of 12-year-olds have had chickenpox, while in the (sub)tropics the share with antibodies at age 12 is lower.

What raises the value

Past chickenpox

Immunity develops after the first VZV infection, and virus-specific IgG antibodies in serum show a past infection.
A child in the household who had chickenpox

According to the LCI guideline, chickenpox in children within the household, with real exposure in that period, also predicts that the parents have antibodies (Linder 2001).

Varicella Zoster: lifestyle and this value

Take a negative VZV IgG to your GP. According to Thuisarts, someone with shingles had better not come close to an adult who has never had chickenpox or someone with weak immunity, because that person can become very ill if they get the virus. According to Thuisarts, someone with shingles also had better keep away from a pregnant woman, because there is a very small chance that the virus harms the baby if she has never had chickenpox.

Varicella Zoster: frequently asked questions

Is shingles contagious?

According to Thuisarts, the varicella zoster virus from shingles blisters can pass to other people, because after touching the blisters there can be virus on the hands. According to Thuisarts, babies and toddlers, for example, can get chickenpox from it, and not shingles.

Varicella Zoster: sources

Diagnostiek voor U, eLabgids (Referentiewaarden DvU), diagnostiek.getincontrol.eu, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) diagnostiek.getincontrol.eu
NHG, Thuisarts: Ik ben in de buurt geweest van iemand met waterpokken of gordelroos, thuisarts.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-16 (retrieved 2026) thuisarts.nl
RIVM, LCI-richtlijn Waterpokken, lci.rivm.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-16 (retrieved 2026) lci.rivm.nl