Hi lybrate-user, polymerase chain reaction (
pcr) pcr can be used to detect vzv dna rapidly and sensitively and is now widely available. The ideal
samples are
swabs of unroofed vesicular lesions and scabs from crusted lesions; viral dna may also be detected in saliva during acute disease, but this sample is less reliable for herpes zoster than it is for
varicella.
Biopsy samples are also useful test samples in cases of disseminated disease. It is also possible to use pcr to distinguish between wild-type and vaccine
strains of vzv. So basically tests are available but should be done under the guidance of expert doctor. For more details do consult me online.