Detection of Human Parvovirus B19 Markers in Blood Samples of Donors

Background and Aims: Human parvovirus B19, a member of the parvoviridae family, with single-stranded DNA is a very minute non-enveloped virus. B 19 virus is mostly transmitted via the respiratory tract but some studies have been reported which B19 virus can be transmitted through blood and/or blood products. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of B19 among blood donors in Tehran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the collection of samples was performed in Tehran blood transfusion center for a period of 6 months, from March 2005 through August 2006. Sera of 1640 blood donors who were negative for human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs Ag) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) were tested for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) anti-B19 using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Then, all of the sera were tested for presence of B19 DNA through semi-nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Results: Out of 1640 blood donors, 8 (0.5%) subjects had IgM antibody thereby being reported positive; 676 subjects (41.2%,) confidential intervals (CIs 95%= 42.7-50) were positive for anti-B19 IgG. B19 DNA was not found in any of the subjects (0%). Conclusion: The result of this study showed that none of the blood donors had detectable parvovirus B19 DNA. This means that there was a very low risk of transmission of parvovirus B19 through blood or blood derived products. It is recommended that more blood samples to be studied specially in high risk groups.