Epidemiology and Infection

Table of Contents - 2004 - Volume 132, Issue 06  


Parvovirus B19 viraemia in Dutch blood donors

H. L. ZAAIJER a1a2c1, M. H. G. M. KOPPELMAN a1 and C. P. FARRINGTON a3
a1 Sanquin, Central Laboratory of The Netherlands Blood Transfusion Service, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
a2 Clinical Virology, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
a3 Department of Statistics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

Article author query
zaaijer hl   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
koppelman mh   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
farrington cp   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 

Abstract

Blood, donated by asymptomatic donors, may contain and transmit parvovirus B19. To investigate the dynamics of parvovirus viraemia in asymptomatic blood donors, we studied the amounts of parvovirus DNA in pools of donor plasma, the prevalence of parvovirus antibodies among blood donors in relation to age, and the seasonal and year-to-year variation of the incidence of parvovirus infection in The Netherlands. The incidence of parvovirus infection follows a seasonal cycle and a cycle of several years. Among Dutch blood donors the incidence was estimated to be 0·56% per year. Forty seven out of 100 pools of 5000 plasma donations tested positive for parvovirus DNA. We inferred that the course of viraemia in asymptomatic donors shows a short peak (>109 copies parvovirus DNA/ml), followed by viraemia below 106 copies/ml for about 2 weeks.

(Accepted May 17 2004)


Correspondence:
c1 Dr Hans L. Zaaijer, AMC – Clinical Virology (K1-166), PO Box 22660, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands. (Email: h.l.zaaijer@amc.uva.nl)

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