Seroprevalence of Parvovirus B19 among Children with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in Al- Gazira State

Abstract

Parvovirus B19 has a marked tropism for erythroid progenitor cells. This may lead to chronic anemia in predisposed individuals. This case control study designed to investigate the frequency of parvovirus in children suffering from Acute Lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and in healthy one (controls) in Sudan. Ninety (n= 90) Sudanese children (less than 15 years), 40 diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia as study group (cases) and 50 normal children serve as control matched by age and sex were enrolled in this study. Five milliliters of blood were collected on EDTA container, complete blood count was done. The plasma was separated from the cells by centrifugation at 3000 rpm for 5 minutes and tested for B19 IgG through the use of ELISA technique. The results showed that parvovirus B19 was 40% among cases compared to 26% in control group. No significant association between B19 with ALL, sex and HB level were found in this study. The study concluded that the seroprevalence of B19 infection is high in Sudan with more prevalence among leukemic children.