Chicken Pox Diagnosis

A diagnosis of chickenpox is made on the basis of the patient’s history, the appearence of the rash and physical findings. Laboratory tests may be occasionally needed. Blister fluid may need testing if your doctor is worried about secondary bacterial infection of the skin.

Additional tests may be required in some patients, as in the immunosuppressed, in case the diagnosis is unclear. These tests usually serve to identify the virus responsible for the patient’s symptoms and include virus culture, immunofluorescence assay and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).