[Six-Years Human Parvovirus B19 Data from a University Hospital: Analysis of the Recent Increase in Case Numbers].

Authors

Kübra Evren, Funda Demir, Melek Yaman, Özlem Güzel Tunçcan, Hasan Tezer, Derya Göksu Fidan, Gülendam Bozdayi

Published in

Mikrobiyoloji bulteni. Volume 60. Issue 3. Pages 329-342.

Abstract

Human parvovirus B19 (PVB19), the causative agent of erythema infectiosum in children, is also associated with conditions such as aplastic crisis, arthropathy, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and fetal complications. During the coronavirus diseases-2019 pandemic, public health measures reduced the circulation of respiratory viruses as well as PVB19; however, increasing case numbers have been reported worldwide and across Europe since late 2023. This study aimed to evaluate PVB19 DNA positivity in samples submitted to our laboratory between January 2019 and April 2025, assess distributions by age, sex and clinical services, compare pre- and post-pandemic periods and investigate the recent rise in positivity. Serological testing was performed using a fully automated Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay system (Alegria® ORGENTEC, Germany). Nucleic acid extraction was carried out with the EZ12 virus mini kit v2.0 on the EZ1 Advanced XL platform, and PVB19 DNA was analyzed using the artus® Parvo B19 RG PCR kit (Qiagen, Germany) on the Rotor-Gene Q system. A total of 1445 real-time polymerase chain reaction (Rt-PCR) results from 1201 patients were retrospectively reviewed. Overall PVB19 DNA positivity was 7.4%. The PVB19 DNA positivity rate in 2024-2025 was significantly higher than that in 2019-2023 (p< 0.01). Increasing age was associated with lower DNA positivity (p< 0.01). Among PCR-positive patients with available serology, 14 were IgM+/IgG+, 32 were IgM-/IgG+ and four were IgM-/IgG-. A considerable proportion of positive cases consisted of immunosuppressed individuals and women of reproductive age. Consistent with observations from the United States and Europe, our findings indicate a resurgence of PVB19 circulation since 2024. Despite increased testing during the pandemic, low positivity rates suggest markedly suppressed viral circulation. Given that 40.4% of our study population was immunosuppressed patients, combined use of serological and molecular testing appears clinically valuable for the diagnosis and follow-up of PVB19 infection.

PMID:
42583853
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Aug 2026.

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