Where do you get the chicken pox virus from to do your experiments?

Question: Where do you get the chicken pox virus from to do your experiments?
- Keywords:
  chickenpox,
  experiment,
  microorganism,
  research,
  virus
Asked by katiechip98 to Phil on 13 Mar 2013.
- Phil Rice answered on 13 Mar 2013:
  
  Great question. I get the viruses from patients with either chickenpox or shingles (that’s when the virus reactivates). The viruses though are quite difficult to play around with and the experiments are HARD, because I have to make sure the data I obtain are correct and reproducible; but, it’s really good fun. Hopefully I should be getting a student to help me soon… If science was easy, we would have all the answers by now; Nature does not give up her secrets easily or to just anyone. Thanks for asking.

Question: Where do you get the chicken pox virus from to do your experiments?