title: Co-infection of human parvovirus B19 in Vietnamese patients with hepatitis B virus infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Human parvovirus B19 (B19) has been identified in the serum of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected patients. However, the effect of B19-infection on the course of HBV-associated liver disease has not previously been investigated. We examined the prevalence of B19-DNA in HBV-infected Vietnamese patients and analysed the association between co-infection and the clinical outcome of HBV-infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples from 399 HBV-infected patients and 64 healthy individuals were analysed for the presence of B19-DNA by PCR and DNA-sequencing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  B19-DNA was detected in 99/463 (21.4%) individuals. The proportion of HBV-infected patients who were also co-infected with B19 was higher than the healthy controls (P<0.001). B19-DNA was detected more frequently in patients with HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma compared to patients with acute and chronic HBV, HBV-associated liver cirrhosis and healthy subjects (P<0.006). A positive correlation was also found between B19-DNA loads and both serum HBV-DNA loads and alanine aminotransferase (rho>0.250 and P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings demonstrate that B19-infection is frequent in HBV-infected Vietnamese patients. Also, a significant correlation exists between HBV/B19 co-infection and a greater likelihood of progression to more severe hepatitis B-associated liver disease. Further studies are required to determine the role of B19-infection on HBV-associated pathogenesis.
authors: Department of Molecular Pathology, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Germany.
authors: Nguyen L
authors: NL
authors: Toan
authors: Le H
authors: le H
authors: Song
authors: Peter G
authors: PG
authors: Kremsner
authors: Dinh N
authors: DN
authors: Duy
authors: Vu Q
authors: VQ
authors: Binh
authors: Anja
authors: A
authors: Duechting
authors: Heike
authors: H
authors: Kaiser
authors: Joseph
authors: J
authors: Torresi
authors: Reinhard
authors: R
authors: Kandolf
authors: C-Thomas
authors: CT
authors: Bock