Fax +41 61 306 12 34 E-Mail karger@karger.ch www.karger.com Short Communication Med Princ Pract 2009;18:339–341 DOI: 10.1159/000215736 Seroprevalence of Erythrovirus B19 IgG Antibody among Paediatric Patients in Makkah and Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ayman Johargy Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia Introduction The B19 virus (B19V), also known as parvovirus B19, is a member of the genus Erythrovirus within the Parvo- viridae family. It was discovered by chance in 1974 by Yvonne Cossart in England during routine screening for hepatitis B of asymptomatic blood donors [1]. The most common clinical manifestation of B19V infection is ery- thema infectiosum (also called fifth disease or ‘slapped- cheek’ syndrome), which is characterised by a facial rash that spreads to the trunk and limbs, usually preceded by a non-specific flu-like illness. B19V is also associated with arthropathy, aplastic crisis, chronic pure red cell aplasia and foetal infection. Less commonly, B19V may be associated with myocarditis, various vasculitic syn- dromes and neurological disorders. B19V is a ubiquitous virus that tends to produce spring epidemics in temperate climates in children 4–10 years of age [2]. Infection with B19V is thought to confer lifelong im- munity. The most common method for detection of B19V-specific antibodies is enzyme-linked immunosor- bent assay (ELISA). Specific IgM antibodies are consid- ered to be serological markers for primary B19V infec- tion. IgG antibodies against B19V are produced approxi- mately 2 weeks after infection and persist for life. The presence of these antibodies is indicative of past infection [3] as determined for various parts of the world [4] . Key Words Makkah  Saudi Arabia  Paediatric patients  Erythrovirus B19  Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay Abstract Objective: To estimate the prevalence of IgG antibodies against B19 virus (B19V) in Makkah and Jeddah, Saudi Ara- bia. Methods: B19V-specific IgG antibodies were detected by a commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent as- say in sera of 400 paediatric patients (185 males and 215 fe- males) aged 1–17 years. Results: Of the 400 patients, 80 (20%) had sera positive for B19V-specific IgG. The difference in the prevalence of the antibodies between genders was not statistically significant (p = 0.9). The prevalence of anti- B19V antibodies increased significantly in the age group of 12–17 years as compared to younger patients (37.5 vs. 18% in those aged 1–11 years; p = 0.006). Conclusion: This study in- dicated a high prevalence of IgG antibodies against B19V in paediatric patients with an increase in age. Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel Received: August 10, 2008 Revised: October 27, 2008 Ayman Johargy, Assistant Professor of Molecular Virology Head of Microbiology Department and Head of Medical Research Centre Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University Makkah (Saudi Arabia) Tel./Fax +966 2 527 0446, E-Mail johargy@hotmail.com © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel 1011–7571/09/0184–0339$26.00/0 Accessible online at: www.karger.com/mpp