Molecular Study On The Prevalence Of Human Parvovirus B19 Infection

•This study was conducted in Microbiology and Immunology Department Faculty of Medicine Zagazig University.• The aim of this work was to detect the prevalence of B19 infection in children with a variety of hematological disorders in comparison to normal controls through the detection of B19 DNA together with its specific IgM and IgG in their sera. Also to highlight the relation of humoral immune response (B19 specific IgM and IgG) to the detection of B19 DNA in pediatric patients with acute leukemia.• The study included 80 pediatric patients selected with one of the hematological disorders (chronic hemolytic anemia or acute leukemia) and ten healthy children were included as controls.• Patients fall into four groups as follows; Group I included 25 patients with chronic hemolytic anemia not in aplastic crises. Group II included 15 patients with chronic hemolytic anemia in aplastic crises, Group III included 20 patients with acute leukemia on maintenance chemotherapy and Group IV included 20 patients with recently diagnosed acute leukemia not on chemotherapy.• Blood samples were collected from patients and controls were used to make blood pictures of the studied groups and sera were separated and used for the detection of B19 specific IgM and IgG antibodies by ELISA and B19 DNA by nested PCR.• The study revealed a higher prevalence of markers for B19 (B19 specific IgM, IgG and DNA) in patients compared to controls. In groups I and III IgG had the highest positive rate (52% and 50%, respectively). While in group II both IgM and DNA occur at the same rate (46%) .