Prevalence of parvovirus B19 in blood donors tested by ELISA and PCR

Background and objectivesHuman parvovirus B19, a member of the parvoviridae family, with single-stranded DNA is a very minute and non-enveloped virus. Human parvovirus B19 causes a number of clinical illnesses including infectious erythema (fifth disease), hydropes fetalis, transient aplastic crises, arthropathy and congenital aplasia. B19 virus is transmitted via respiratory tract, blood products, and blood transfusion. Parvovirus B19 DNA is detectable through molecular techniques such as PCR. Previous studies indicate that individuals who have anti B19 IgG are negative. IgM antibody against B19 lasts for a few months and IgG antibody persists for many years or lifelong. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of B19 among blood donors in Tehran. Materials and MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, sera of 730 blood donors who were negative for HIV, HBsAg and HCV were tested for IgG and IgM anti-B19V using ELISA. Then, all of the sera were tested for presence of B19 DNA through semi-nested PCR. ResultsOut of 730 blood donors, 4 (0.5%) had IgM antibody thereby being reported positive; 338 subjects (46.3%) were positive for anti-B19 IgG. DNA B19 was not found in any of the subjects (0%). ConclusionsAlthough B19 may cause adverse reactions in some blood recipients, screening blood donors for B19 is not essential. In this study, the high prevalence of IgG on one hand and the lack of any positive cases of B19 DNA on the other indicate of the low risk of the latter to be transfusion transmittable. Further studies on blood donors particularly high risk groups are recommended.