Investigation on the Maternal-Infantile Infection with Human Parvovirus B19

To investigate the maternal-infantile infection with human parvovirus B19, the IgG and IgM antibodies against human parvovirus and the B19-DNA in serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of pregnant women as well as the serum IgM antibody against B19 and the B19-DNA in serum and cord blood nucleated cells (CBNC) of newborns were determined by ELISA and nested PCR respectively. It was found that the positive rate of the IgG antibody against human parvovirus B19 in sera of 92 pregnant women was 38.04% (35/92), and that of the IgM antibody in 720 pregnant women was 9.03% (65/720). However, the IgM antibody against human parvovirus B19 was negative in the cord blood sera of 95 newborns. As to the human parvovirus B19 DNA, none of 720 pregnant women and 95 newborns was proved to be positive in their sera. Nevertheless, the positive rate of the parvovirus B19 DNA in PBMC was 3.06% (3/98) in 98 pregnant women and 1.12% (1/89) in CBNC of 89 newborns. It is concluded that the history of infection with human parvovirus B19 exists in certain pregnant women with a small percentage of pregnant women infected with recent or acute infections of B19 virus. The detection rates of the B19 viral DNA in PBMC of pregnant women and CBNC of newborns were higher than those in sera, indicating that the risk for vertical transmission is very low.