Prevalence of human parvovirus B19 in blood donors as determined by a haemagglutination assay and verified by the polymerase chain reaction

Background and Objectives Transmission of human parvovirus B19 (PV B19) by transfusion of blood and blood products is well documented. Although PV B19 infection is connected with severe complications in some recipients, donor screening is not yet mandatory. In this study the prevalence of PV B19, as detected by a haemagglutination assay (the Human PV B19 Antigen-Test), was assessed. In addition, the persistence of B19 DNA and the serological status of blood donors was also assessed. The specificity and utility of the Human PV B19 Antigen-Test for donor screening was investigated and compared with other screening strategies. Materials and Methods The prevalence of PV B19 viraemia was assessed in 28 972 donations from 15 660 remunerated donors by means of the haemagglutination assay. Reactive results were confirmed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results Overall, 255 donations gave reactive or indeterminate results in the screening assay. Four donations/donors detected by the haemagglutination assay were confirmed as positive for B19 DNA by PCR. Therefore, a frequency was detected of I : 7243 B19-positive donations and I : 3915 positive donors. Specificity was determined to be 99.1%. Follow-up showed the persistence of viraemia in low concentrations for prolonged time-periods. Conclusion Blood donations with a high level of human PV B19 viraemia can be detected by the haemagglutination assay, which is rapid and easy to perform. The presence of neutralizing antibody may inhibit specific haemagglutination.