ABSTRACT

Human Parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a highly contagious pathogen transmitted through respiratory secretions causing transient aplastic anaemia. A common clinical manifestation is a febrile illness characterized by a rash called erythema infectiosum. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Human Parvovirus B19 IgM antibodies among febrile paediatrics admitted into some paediatrics wards in Benin City, Nigeria. About 150 febrile consenting paediatrics; 90 males and 60 females were enrolled for this study. The participants ranged from 6 months to 14 years of age. About 4 milliliters of venous blood was collected aseptically, dispensed into appropriately labelled plain containers, allowed to clot, and spun at 3000rpm for 10 minutes. The sera obtained were screened for B19V IgM antibodies using Sunlong ELISA test kit manufactured by Sunlong Biotech. The overall seroprevalence of B19V IgM antibodies among the febrile paediatrics was 9.3%. Males recorded a higher prevalence of 71.4% compared to the females with a prevalence of 28.6%. B19V IgM antibodies varied among age grades, from 50% in the 0 to 4 years age group, to 28.6% in the 5 to 9 years age group, to 21.4% in the 10 to 14 years age group. Risk factors associated with B19V infection includes blood transfusion,cultural practices such as scarification (tribal marks), overcrowding, anda weakened immune system. The findings of this study highlights the importance of B19V as a potential causative agent of febrile illness and also helps to understand the epidemiology of Parvovirus B19.