What causes Chicken Pox disease?

Appeared in: MP CHO-2020

Explanation

Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a highly contagious disease caused by the primary infection with the Varicella-zoster virus (VZV).
VZV is a member of the human herpesvirus family, specifically Human (alpha) herpes virus 3.
After the primary infection (chickenpox), the virus remains dormant in sensory nerve ganglia and can reactivate later in life to cause shingles (herpes zoster).

Option A: Herpes zoster is the name of the disease (shingles) that occurs when the Varicella-zoster virus reactivates, not the virus that causes the initial chickenpox infection.
Option C: Paramyxovirus is a family of viruses that causes different diseases, such as measles and mumps, not chickenpox.
Option D: Togavirus is a family of viruses that causes diseases like rubella (German measles), which is distinct from chickenpox.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Causative agent of Chickenpox (Varicella) helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Nurses must implement airborne and contact precautions for patients with chickenpox to prevent nosocomial spread, as the virus is highly contagious through respiratory droplets and direct contact with lesions.
Patient education is crucial, focusing on the importance of the varicella vaccine for prevention and advising infected individuals to keep lesions clean and avoid scratching to prevent secondary bacterial infections.
What if? If a pregnant, non-immune nurse is exposed to a patient with chickenpox, she must be immediately removed from patient care and seek post-exposure prophylaxis (Varicella-Zoster Immune Globulin - VZIG) to reduce the risk of severe maternal infection and congenital varicella syndrome.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core of the question, which is to name the specific microorganism causing 'Chicken Pox'.
Analyze the options. Notice that 'Varicella zoster' and 'Herpes zoster' are related terms, which is a common way distractors are created.
Recall or deduce the specific roles. 'Varicella zoster' is the name of the virus.
Differentiate this from 'Herpes zoster', which is the name of the reactivation disease (shingles).
Eliminate 'Paramyxovirus' and 'Togavirus' by associating them with other common viral illnesses (measles/mumps and rubella, respectively).
Select the option that correctly names the causative virus for the primary infection.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics(2024) — Volume 1 p. 2005-2007

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart A (pp 26-201 of 604) p. 146-148

E6 Medicine Harrison 22e Part 1 p. 1545-1547

Practise the full MP CHO-2020

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.