[Perinatal infections of B19 Parvoviruses]
This study is aimed at detecting perinatal infections of Parvovirus B19 (PV B19). The authors have analyzed specific antibodies (IgM and IgG) in the cord serum of 647 babies, born consecutively at the St. Eugenio Hospital in Rome. 156 of them (24%) were positive to IgG. The analysis of viral genome by PCR methods showed three positive subjects (2%). The three newborn babies did not develop any pathologies during a two-year follow-up and PCR became negative within the first 6 months. Data show that a mass pregnancy test is not useful for PV B19 detection, and that specific antibody analysis should be limited to pregnancies at risk. However healthy the infected patients may appear at birth, though, it is advisable to have them monitored for at least one year so as to avoid the risk of chronic infections.
Di Domenico
Claudia
C
Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Biologia Cellulare, Università di Roma Tor Vergata Cattedra di Neonatologia.
Moschese
Viviana
V
Chini
Loredana
L
Zirletta
Ermenia
E
Cancrini
Caterina
C
Di Paolo
Ambrogio
A
Rossi
Paolo
P
Scalamandrè
Antonio
A