Prevalence of Parvovirus B19 Viremia Among German Blood Donations and the Relationship to ABO and Rhesus Blood Group Antigens.

Healy, Katie; Aulin, Linda B S; Freij, Urban; Ellerstad, Marie; Brückle, Lena; Hillmering, Helen; Svae, Tor-Einar; Broliden, Kristina et al. · J Infect Dis · 2023

cross_sectional · Level IV

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Abstract

Asymptomatic blood donors can transmit human parvovirus B19 (B19V). We assessed the B19V prevalence among a large cohort of blood donations collected in Germany during 2015-2018. In total, 167 123 donations were screened for B19V deoxyribonucleic acid with 22 cases of viremia identified (0.013% positive). Infections peaked at a 4-year interval and the highest number of cases occurred in the summer months. All 22 infections were found in rhesus D-antigen-positive donations, suggesting a protective factor in donors who lack this antigen. These findings contribute to our understanding of risk factors for B19V infection among central European blood and plasma donors.

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