1. Seroprevalence of anti-human parvovirus B19 antibodies in patients attending a centre for sexually transmitted diseases.
- Author
-
Salvatori L, Lavorino C, Giglio A, Alemanno L, Di Carlo A, Ameglio F, and Caprilli F
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Bisexuality, Blood Donors, Female, Homosexuality, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Rome epidemiology, Seroepidemiologic Studies, Sexual Behavior, Antibodies, Viral blood, Parvoviridae Infections complications, Parvoviridae Infections epidemiology, Parvovirus B19, Human immunology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases complications
- Abstract
The aim of this study was to establish the serological prevalence of anti-human Parvovirus B19 (HP-B19) antibodies in a group of 321 patients attending a Centre for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and epidemiologically examine whether this virus may also be sexually transmitted. For this purpose, the serum prevalence of anti-HP-B19 evaluated in STD patients (39%) was compared with that of 164 healthy blood donors (10%, p < 0.001), using commercially available ELISA methods detecting the anti-VP1 reactivity of the sera. The same STD patients were also analyzed for serum reactivities against 4 STD-causing microorganisms, namely T. pallidum (TPHA), HBV (HBcAb), HCV (HCV-Ab) and HIV (HIV-Ab), to observe possible associations with the serum anti-HP-B19 reactivity. These tests were also carried out with commercially available kits. The results suggest that the serum anti-HP-B19 antibody prevalence in patients with STDs is increased, also independently of their intravenous drug addition and varies with the reactivity pattern determined. In addition, as expected for a STD, the anti-HP-B19 prevalence is increased in homobisexual patients compared with heterosexuals.
- Published
- 1999