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Asymptomatic blood donors can transmit human parvovirus B19 (B19V). We assessed the B19V prevalence amongst a large cohort of blood donations collected in Germany during 2015-2018. In total, 167,123 donations were screened for B19V DNA with 22 cases of viraemia identified (0.013% positive). Infections peaked at a four-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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]