Abstract
The human parvovirus B19 is known to cause erythema infectiosum in children. The virus is transmitted through respiratory droplets, vertically from mother to fetus, via blood transfusion, and by transplantation of body organs. B19V may cause serious complications in pregnant women and patients with hemoglobinopathies, transient aplastic crisis, or immunodeficiency syndromes. The aim of this study is to estimate the seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 and investigate the presence of viremia by detecting viral DNA in acute infection cases in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Three hundred blood donors were tested for anti-B19 IgG and IgM antibodies using ELISA. Then, IgM positive samples were tested for the presence of B19 DNA by PCR. A majority (66.67%, 200/300) of the tested samples were positive for anti-B19 IgG, while 1.67% was positive for both anti-B19 IgM and IgG. The prevalence of anti-B19 IgG was statistically different between the age groups of 18-25 years and 46-55 years (p = 0.04), while it was comparable between the age groups of 18-25, 26-35, and 36-45 years. Anti-B19 IgM prevalence was comparable between all age groups. No B19 DNA was detected in the tested IgM-positive samples. High prevalence of anti-B19 IgG was demonstrated in Madinah, and no viral DNA was detected in the anti-B19 IgM positive samples. Therefore, there is a negligible possibility of B19 transmission by transfusion of whole blood. However, screening of B19V should be performed for blood and blood products to be given to high-risk individuals such as pregnant women and patients with hemoglobinopathies, transient aplastic crisis, or immunodeficiency syndromes.