Serological and molecular detection of parvovirus B19 in hereditary bleeding disorder patients

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Hemophilia and other hereditary bleeding disorders patients who received blood and blood product transfusions are particularly vulnerable to viral infection including risk of transmission of parvovirus B19, which remains a critical issue. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to screen Parvovirus B19 infection in hereditary bleeding disorders patients. PATIENTS, MATERIALS, AND METHODS: Sixty-one patients diagnosed with hemophilia and other hereditary bleeding disorders were recruited in this study. Out of 61 patients, 73.77% had hemophilia A, 13.11% had hemophilia B, 6.56% had von Willebrand disease, and 6.56% had congenital factor VII deficiency. Patients’ clinical data were collected and evaluated during their follow-up visits. The presence of inhibitors in patients with hemophilia A was also recorded. Detection of parvovirus B19 DNA was performed using nested polymerase chain reaction protocol, and immunoglobulin G (IgG) detection was done using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism software (v7.0). RESULTS: Despite the lack of significance, more than half (55.74%) of different types of hereditary bleeding disorders (34 patients) were seropositive for Parvo B19 IgG antibodies, while all patients had negative parvovirus B19 DNA. Additionally, 15 (33.33%) patients with hemophilia A had inhibitors to factor VIII, without increased association among those patients with positive IgG antibodies ( P > 0.9999). Furthermore, the prevalence of hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus among all studied patients was 33 (54.1%) and 3 (4.92%), respectively, without signification association with a positive serological test of Parvo B19 virus ( P = 0.0621 and P = 0.6959, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that most patients had past exposure to Parvovirus B19, as indicated by IgG seropositivity, while the absence of detectable viral DNA suggests no current infections which underscore the likelihood of past transmission via blood or blood derived products. Therefore Regular monitoring of viral infections in hereditary bleeding disorder patients are crucial for improving infection control measures.