title: Estimating the risk of parvovirus B19 infection in blood donors and pregnant women in Japan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Seroepidemiological study of parvovirus B19 has not taken place for some 20 years in Japan. To estimate the risk of parvovirus B19 infection in Japan among blood donors and pregnant women in this century, a seroepidemiological survey and statistical modeling of the force of infection were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The time- and age-specific seroprevalence data were suggestive of strong age-dependency in the risk of infection. Employing a piecewise constant model, the highest forces of infection of 0.05 and 0.12 per year were observed among those aged 0-4 and 5-9 years, respectively, while estimates among older individuals were less than 0.01 per year. Analyzing the antigen detection data among blood donors, the age-specific proportion positive was highest among those aged 30-39 years, agreeing with the presence of dip in seroprevalence in this age-group. Among pregnant women, up to 107 fetal deaths and 21 hydrops fetalis were estimated to have occurred annually across Japan.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Seroepidemiological profiles of PVB19 infection in Japan was characterized with particular emphasis on the risk of infection in blood donors and the burden of infection among pregnant women. When a vaccine becomes available in the future, a similar seroepidemiological study is expected to play a key role in planning the appropriate immunization policy.
authors.affiliation: Field Epidemiology Training Program, Infectious Disease Surveillance Centre, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Social Medicine, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nabae
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Surveillance Centre, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nishiura
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Surveillance Centre, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka-Taya
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Surveillance Centre, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan; Kawasaki City Institute of Public Health, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuhiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okabe
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Surveillance Centre, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kunichika
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomonori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death; D006801:Humans; D015160:Hydrops Fetalis / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D016732:Parvovirus B19, Human / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D012306:Risk; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral