title: Human parvovirus B19 infection within a family and risk for pregnant women.
abstract: During an outbreak of parvovirus B19 infection among four related families at least 70% of the household contacts, including a woman at the 33rd week of pregnancy, became infected. Twins were born at the 39th week of pregnancy, both with B19 infection. B19 DNA was detected in their sera by a nested PCR, anti-B19 IgM was detectable only by an immunofluorescence assay, and low levels of maternal anti-B19 IgG were demonstrable by an immunoenzymatic test in the serum of both children. All the haematological parameters were normal at birth and 6 months later, when B19 DNA and anti-B19 antibody were no longer detectable in serum samples. This observation emphasizes the high risk of B19 infection among household contacts and the possibility of a favourable outcome of the foetal infection, possibly related to infection late in the pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, University of Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azzi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trotta
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zakrzewska
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Balzer
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Rogasi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carocci
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leoncini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D016731:Erythema Infectiosum / Q000151:congenital* / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D016732:Parvovirus B19, Human / Q000276:immunology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000276:immunology; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral