Varicella Vaccination of Children With Leukemia Without Interruption of Maintenance Therapy: A Danish Experience.

Background: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) can be fatal or cause severe complications in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This analysis set out to investigate the morbidity and mortality of VZV vaccination without interruption of maintenance therapy in children with ALL.

Methods: Files of 73 seronegative children with ALL were examined for data regarding VZV vaccination and infection, and long-term seroconversion was measured.

Novel STAT1 alleles in a patient with impaired resistance to mycobacteria.

Partial defects in interferon (IFN)-γ signaling lead to susceptibility to infections with nontuberculous mycobacteria. The receptors for IFN-α and IFN-γ activate components of the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway. Some defects in STAT1 mainly affect IFN-γ signaling, thus resulting in mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease (MSMD).