title: Human parvovirus B19 in patients with beta thalassemia major from Tehran, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Due to the tropism of human parvovirus B19 to erythroid progenitor cells, infection in patients with an underlying hemolytic disorder such as beta-thalassemia major leads to suppression of erythrocyte formation, referred to as transient aplasia crisis (TAC), which may be life-threatening. We investigated the prevalence of parvovirus B19 among patients with beta thalassemia major attending the Zafar Adult Thalassemia Clinic in Tehran, Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was performed to determine the presence of parvovirus B19 DNA in blood samples and parvovirus B19 genotypes in plasma samples of patients with thalassemia major. The population consisted of 150 patients with beta-thalassemia major who attended the Zafar clinic in Tehran. Specimens were studied using a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of parvovirus B19 in our study population was 4%. Of 150 patients with thalassemia, six (4%) were positive for B19 DNA. There was no significant correlation between blood transfusion frequency and B19 DNA positivity. Finally, phylogenetic analysis of human parvovirus B19 revealed genotype I in these six patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, acute B19 infections were detected in patients with beta thalassemia major. Screening of such high-risk groups can considerably reduce the incidence and prevalence of B19 infection; thus, screening is required for epidemiologic surveillance and disease-prevention measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Ali Mohammad
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Arabzadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alizadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Virology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tavakoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamidreza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mollaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Virology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bokharaei-Salim
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Gharib
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karimi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farahmand
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Virology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Helya Sadat
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Mortazavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Virology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Hamidreza
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Monavari
keywords: Genotype; Iranian patients; Parvovirus B19; Thalassemia