The prevalence of antibody to human parvovirus B19 in pregnant women in Kuwait

Infection with parvovirus B19 during pregnancy is known to be associated with various fetal damage, such as aplastic anemia and hydrops fetalis. Our objective was to study the seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 in the obstetric population in Kuwait and to compare this with that in the adult population in other regions. Blood samples from 1047 pregnant women were used in this prospective study. Information regarding patient’s age, parity, nationality and symptoms was obtained at the time of collection of the sample. Blood was tested for IgG and IgM antibodies specific for parvovirus B19 using the ELISA technique. The overall prevalence for IgG and IgM was 53.3 and 2.2%, respectively. IgG seropositivity was higher in non-Kuwaiti women, while IgM antibodies was more frequent in Kuwaiti women. A total of 17.4% of the acutely infected patients were symptomatic. Prevalence of parvovirus B19 infection in Kuwait is comparable with that in the other countries.