Persistent B19 infection in immunocompetent individuals: implications for transfusion safety.
Recent reports suggested that parvovirus B19 (B19) might persist in immunocompetent individuals such as blood donors, but only cross-sectional data were available. Serial samples from a cohort of multitransfused patients with hemoglobinopathies and a cross-sectional population of pregnant women were tested for B19 markers. Of 76 red cell recipients, 6 (8%) had persistent viral DNA for 1 to 3 or more years, depending on the sensitivity of the genomic amplification assay. All patients also carried B19-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG). In contrast, 0.8% of 500 pregnant women carried both detectable B19 DNA and specific IgG. These results demonstrate that persistence of low levels of B19 DNA suggested by cross-sectional studies is frequent in multitransfused patients and that the virus may remain detectable several years after infection in nonimmunodeficient individuals.
Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine, 6 Rue Alexandre Cabanel, 75015 Paris, France.
Jean-Jacques
JJ
Lefrère
Annabelle
A
Servant-Delmas
Daniel
D
Candotti
Martine
M
Mariotti
Isabelle
I
Thomas
Yvon
Y
Brossard
François
F
Lefrère
Robert
R
Girot
Jean-Pierre
JP
Allain
Syria
S
Laperche
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence / Q000276:immunology*; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D016732:Parvovirus B19, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012449:Safety; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D004279:DNA, Viral