Parvovirus B19 Susceptibility among Women of Childbearing Age: A Sero-Survey in the North East of Iran

Abstract

Article Type Original Research Authors Farnaz Zahedi Avval, PhD1 Marziyeh Khazaei, MD1 Monireh Davoodian, MSc1 Lida Jarahi, MD2* Masoud Youssefi, PhD3* How to cite this article Zahedi Avval F., Khazaei M., Davoodian M., Jarahi L., Youssefi M. Parvovirus B19 Susceptibility among Women of Childbearing Age: A Sero-Survey in the North East of Iran. Infection Epidemiology and Microbiology. 2021;7(2): 155-160 1Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IRAN 2Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IRAN 3Department of Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IRAN * Correspondence Address: Emam Reza Square, Emam Reza University Hospital, School of Medicine, Mashhad, IRAN. Tel: 051 38002365 Postal Code: 9137913316 [email protected] Article History Received: March 25, 2021 Accepted: April 25 ,2021 Published: May 20 ,2021 Backgrounds: Parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection is mainly manifested as erythema infectiosum in children. Primary B19V infection during pregnancy is accompanied by a 30% risk of fetal infection, especially in epidemic conditions. Given the important impact of parvovirus B19 infection on maternal and neonate health, this study assessed parvovirus B19 susceptibility among women of childbearing age in Mashhad, northeast Iran. Materials & Methods: Serum samples were collected from 185 women aged 20-35 years living in Mashhad. Cluster sampling was performed in different health centers located in the city to cover the main city area. A commercial ELISA kit was used to measure IgG antibodies against B19V. This study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards mentioned in the declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was taken from all participants. A questionnaire was filled by each participant. SPSS software Version 11.5 was used for statistical analyses. Findings: Anti-B19 IgG was observed in about 31% of women. Seroprevalence of antiB19 antibodies among different age groups (with 5-year intervals) was not significantly different (p=.839). Also, there was no significant difference among different city areas of Mashhad in terms of anti-B19 IgG seropositivity (.39, p>.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of parvovirus B19 infection varies in different parts of the world. Comparing to other reports, the present study revealed a rather low immunity against parvovirus B19 among women in Mashhad. These findings highlight the potential risk of B19 infection in non-immune/susceptible mothers, which may lead to sever outcomes, especially during epidemics. Copyright© 2021, TMU Press. This open-access article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License which permits Share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and Adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) under the Attribution-NonCommercial terms. 1029252/iem.7.2.155