Association Between Parvovirus B19 Infection, Interleukin-6, and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Levels in Pregnant Women with Spontaneous Abortion in Kirkuk, Iraq

Abstract Background: Severe fetal anemia, intrauterine fetal mortality, and spontaneous abortion are only a few of the pregnancy issues that human parvovirus B19 can induce. Several immunological factors, like viral infection and changes in cytokine signaling, have a role in abortion, which is a regular occurrence. This means cytokines are crucial for regulating and increasing immune cell numbers in response to viral infections. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the levels of Interleukin-6 and Tumor necrosis factor-alpha in parvovirus B19-infected women who had spontaneous abortions in Kirkuk city. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were taken from 135 pregnant women who had abortions were attended Gynecological and Pediatric Hospital and private clinics in Kirkuk city from November 2022 to April 2023. The study also included 45 healthy women who had successful pregnancies as a control group. The sera obtained from the study samples were tested to measure the levels of IL-6 using Electrochemiluminescence Immunoassay and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) using ELISA technique, B19 infection was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR). Results: The result indicated that out of the 135 cases of aborted women samples evaluated, 12 cases (8.89%) were found to be positive for HPVB19 DNA through RT-PCR testing, while 123 (91.11%) of the cases classified negative for HPVB19 DNA. The study also revealed that the highest mean IL-6 and TNF-α were recorded among the aborted women with B19 infection, followed by aborted women without B19 infection and the lowest mean was in the control group. The provided P value of <0.001 indicates a statistically significant difference in IL-6 and TNF-α levels across the studied groups. Conclusion: B19 virus infection stimulates an inflammatory response characterized by increased IL-6 and TNF-α production, which may contribute to pregnancy complications associated with B19 infection.