title: Parvovirus B19 infection in five European countries: seroepidemiology, force of infection and maternal risk of infection.
abstract: We conducted a seroprevalence survey in Belgium, Finland, England & Wales, Italy and Poland on 13 449 serum samples broadly representative in terms of geography and age. Samples were tested for the presence of immunoglobulin G antibody using an enzyme immunoassay. The age-specific risk of infection was estimated using parametric and non-parametric statistical modelling. The age-specific risk in all five countries was highest in children aged 7-9 years and lower in adults. The average proportion of women of child-bearing age susceptible to parvovirus B19 infection and the risk of a pregnant women acquiring B19 infection during pregnancy was estimated to be 26% and 0.61% in Belgium, 38% and 0.69% in England & Wales, 43.5% and 1.24% in Finland, 39.9% and 0.92% in Italy and 36.8% and 1.58% in Poland, respectively. Our study indicates substantial epidemiological differences in Europe regarding parvovirus B19 infection.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Nationale de Santé, Luxembourg, Luxembourg. joel.mossong@lns.etat.lu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mossong
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hens
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Friederichs
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Davidkin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Broman
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Litwinska
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Siennicka
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trzcinska
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: VAN Damme
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Beutels
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vyse
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shkedy
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aerts
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Massari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gabutti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016732:Parvovirus B19, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G