Parvovirus B19 and C-reactive protein in blood bank donors: implications for hygiene hypothesis research

Molecular and serological markers of human parvovirus B19 infection in blood donors: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND:

Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is one of the blood-borne viruses. The virus can be transmitted to susceptible individuals by blood or blood products. The virus is not associated with significant disease in general population, while people with underlying problems such as immunodeficiency can cause anemia and arthritis. The current systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the overall prevalence of B19V DNA, anti-B19V IgG, and anti-B19V IgM antibodies in blood donors worldwide.

METHODS:

A systematic search was carried out in online databases for relevant studies from inception until March 30, 2019. Study selection was performed based on predesigned eligibility criteria. The proportion of B19V DNA, anti-B19V IgG, and anti-B19V IgM antibodies were pooled using the inverse variance method. All statistical analyses were performed using the R version 3.5.3, package “meta.”

RESULTS:

According to the random-effects model, the pool prevalence of B19V DNA, anti-B19V IgM, and anti-B19V IgG among blood donors was calculated to be 0.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] =0.3%–0.6%), 2.2% (95% CI = 1.3%–3.7%), and 50.1% (95% CI = 43.1%–57.1%), respectively.

CONCLUSION:

For the transmission of B19V through blood, the presence of the virus genome is required, and the present study showed that the prevalence of the virus genome in blood donors is <1%. Therefore, there is no need to screen donated blood for B19V infection.

Human parvovirus B19 frequency among blood donors after an epidemic outbreak: relevance of the epidemiological scenario for transfusion medicine

A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the frequency of human parvovirus B19 (B19V) infected individuals, viral loads and immunity among blood donors from Argentina, in a post-epidemic outbreak period. B19V DNA and specific IgG were tested in minimum study samples of donors attending a blood bank at Córdoba, Argentina, in 2014. Anti-B19V IgM and viral loads were determined in B19V-positive plasma samples. Seven of 731 samples (0.96%) resulted positive, corresponding to individuals aged 32-53 years, four of them repeat donnors and three first-time donors. Viral loads were <10³ IU/mL. None had IgM and 6/7 had IgG, one of them at a high level (in the range of 100-200 IU/ml, and the remaining 5 at low to medium level, 5-50 IU/ml). Thus one case was classified as acute infection (DNA+/IgM-/IgG-) and six as potentially persistent infections (DNA+/IgM-/IgG+). No coinfections with other pathogens of mandatory control in the pre-transfusion screening were detected. Prevalence of IgG was 77.9% (279/358). This study provides the first data of B19V prevalence in blood donors in Argentina, demonstrating high rates of acute and persistent B19V infections and high prevalence of anti-B19V IgG in a post-epidemic period. Further research is needed to elucidate mechanisms/factors for B19V persistence as well as follow-up of recipients in the context of haemo-surveillance programs, contributing to the knowledge of B19V and blood transfusion safety.

Overall prevalence of human parvovirus B19 among blood donors in mainland China: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection exhibits a broad range of clinical outcomes. Blood transfusion is a common route of B19V transmission. However, information about the overall prevalence of B19V infection and B19V genotypes among blood donors in mainland China is lacking.

METHODS

This meta-analysis was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A literature search for studies reporting the B19V prevalence among blood donors in mainland China from 2000 to 2018 was performed. The prevalence of B19V was estimated through a meta-analysis of the relevant literature. A comprehensive meta-analysis program was used for data processing and statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-one eligible articles were included, involving 48,923 participants assessed for B19V-DNA, 12,948 participants assessed for anti-B19V immunoglobulin M (IgM), and 8244 participants assessed for anti-B19V immunoglobulin G (IgG). The analysis revealed the pooled estimates of the prevalence rates of B19V-DNA, anti-B19V IgM, and anti-B19V IgG among blood donors to be 0.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.2-2.4%), 2.7% (95% CI 1.7-4.3%), and 33.6% (95% CI 28.2-39.4%), respectively. Moreover, phylogenetic analyses indicated that 142 of 169 (84.0%) B19V isolates belonged to Genotype 1.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall prevalence of B19V among blood donors is not high in mainland China, and most isolates belong to Genotype 1.