Human parvovirus B19 in patients with beta thalassemia major from Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND: Due to the tropism of human parvovirus B19 to erythroid progenitor cells, infection in patients with an underlying hemolytic disorder such as beta-thalassemia major leads to suppression of erythrocyte formation, referred to as transient aplasia crisis (TAC), which may be life-threatening. We investigated the prevalence of parvovirus B19 among patients with beta thalassemia major attending the Zafar Adult Thalassemia Clinic in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed to determine the presence of parvovirus B19 DNA in blood samples and parvovirus B19 genotypes in plasma samples of patients with thalassemia major. The population consisted of 150 patients with beta-thalassemia major who attended the Zafar clinic in Tehran. Specimens were studied using a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. RESULTS: The prevalence of parvovirus B19 in our study population was 4%. Of 150 patients with thalassemia, six (4%) were positive for B19 DNA. There was no significant correlation between blood transfusion frequency and B19 DNA positivity. Finally, phylogenetic analysis of human parvovirus B19 revealed genotype I in these six patients. CONCLUSION: In this study, acute B19 infections were detected in patients with beta thalassemia major. Screening of such high-risk groups can considerably reduce the incidence and prevalence of B19 infection; thus, screening is required for epidemiologic surveillance and disease-prevention measures.

[Investigating the presence of different hepatitis C virus genotypes in serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and liver biopsy specimens of patients with hepatitis C virus infection]

Hepatitis C virus [HCV] is essentially considered as hepatotropic, but virus sequences have also been found in other important extrahepatic sites, including peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMCs]. This study was done to investigate the presence of mixed infection and the differences between hepatitis C virus genotypes in plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and liver biopsy specimens in patients with hepatitis C virus infection. One hundred and fifty two patients with established chronic hepatitis C infection attending Firouzgar Hospital, affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, from September 2008 to April 2010 were enrolled in the present study. After collecting plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cell, and liver biopsy specimens, RNA was extracted from the samples and hepatitis C virus genotyping was performed using INNO-LiPATM HCV II kit. The hepatitis C virus genotyping was confirmed by sequencing the RT-nested PCR product of 5'-UTR fragments. The mean age of the participants was 31.2 +/- 16.9 years. Multiple hepatitis C virus genotypes were detected in 4 [2.6%] out of 152 plasma samples, 10 [6.6%] out of 152 peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples, and 9 [18.8%] out of 48 liver biopsy specimens. Hepatitis C virus genotypes were different in the plasma, PBMC, and liver biopsy specimens of 21 [13.8%] patients. The present study shows that a significant proportion of patients with chronic hepatitis C infection are infected by multiple hepatitis C virus genotypes which may not be detectable in their plasma specimens