INVESTIGATION OF PARVOVIRUS B19 SEROPREVALENCE IN VARIOUS AGE GROUPS IN CENTRAL ANATOLIA REGION, TURKEY

Human parvovirus B19 is a small, non-enveloped, icosahedral symmetric, single-stranded DNA virus that can cause a number of diseases, notably erythema infectiosum in children and aplastic crisis in patients with chronic hemolytic disorders. There have been limited data on the epidemiological pattern of parvovirus B19 infection in Turkey. The objective of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 in Konya province (Central Anatolia), Turkey. Parvovirus B19 IgG antibodies were investigated by a commercial ELISA kit (RIDASCREEN, R-Biopharm AG, Germany) in 631 adults (age range: 18-> 60 years) and 542 children (age range: 0-17 years). The overall prevalence of parvovirus B19 IgG antibodies was 28.9%. The rate of parvovirus B19 IgG positivity was 20.7% (112/542) in the 0-17 years age group and was 36% (227/631) in the adult population. No significant difference in seropositivity rates were detected in terms of sex in children and adult group (p>0.05 in both groups). The rates of parvovirus B19 IgG seropositivity were 15.8% in 0-4 years age group, 16% in 5-9 years, 24.2% in 10-14 years, 40.9% in 15-19 years, 34.7% in 20-29 years, 35.5% in 30-39 years, 32.2% in 40-49 years, 37.5% in 50-59 years and 53.8% in > 60 years age group. The seropositivity rates in 0-4 and 5-9 years age groups were lower than the other age groups and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). To determine the prevalence of parvovirus B19 in different age groups in different geographical areas is necessary since this will provide important information about the epidemiology of such infections.