Seroprevalence of erythrovirus B19 IgG antibody in Makkah and Jeddah cities of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective: The seroprevalence of B19V in 364 Saudi individuals was measured. Methods: IgG seroprevalence was measured in serum samples of 165 males and 199 females aged 1 week to 57 years (mean 25.6, median 26 and standard deviation 9.7 years) by a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a highly specific recombinant B19V antigen. Results: A total of 174 out of 364 (47.8%) sera were found positive, including 82 (47.1%) males and 92 (52.9%) females. The prevalence of antibody calculated as NovaTec unit was not statistically significant difference between gender (p – 0.46). Our results have shown that, as reported for other countries, anti-B19V IgG increases in an age – dependent manner, the prevalence increased significantly from 13.9% at < 16 year to 51.5% in those > 17 year (p – value = 0.0001 and 95% confidence interval = 0.1 to 0.6). Conclusion: This seroprevalence study indicated that that almost half of the adult population in Saudi Arabia showed prior exposure to B19V. No gender differences in B19 seroprevalence were observed. The exposure as indicated by IgG positivity was seen to increase with age. The IgG negative individuals may be considered at risk of developing infection due to B19V.