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Parvovirus B19 DNA detection in treatment-naïve HIV anemic patients in Lagos, Nigeria: a case control study


Oluwaseyi Sedowhe Ashaka
Olumuyiwa Babalola Salu
Ayorinde Babatunde James
Akeeb Oriowo Bola Oyefolu
AbdulAzeez Adeyemi Anjorin
Bamidele Oludare Oke
Mercy Remilekun Orenolu
Sunday Aremu Omilabu

Abstract

Background: Parvovirus B19 (B19) has tropism for cells of the erythroid lineage, which may lead to transient inhibition of erythropoiesis. Several studies and case reports suggested that B19 infection may contribute significantly to severe chronic ane- mia in HIV infected persons.


Objective: To detect parvovirus B19 DNA in treatment-naïve HIV patients.


Methods: This was a case control retrospective study. One hundred nineteen anemic and 81 non-anemic treatment-naïve HIV infected patients participated in the study at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect B19 DNA.


Results: Out of 200 patients analysed, 13(6.5%) had parvovirus B19 DNA. Eight HIV patients with anemia had B19 DNA while five non-anemic HIV patients had B19 DNA. This suggests that the presence of B19 DNA in the blood of HIV positive individuals may contribute to anemia because the majority (61.5%) who were positive for B19 DNA had anemia as compared to the non-anemic control group (38.5%).


Conclusion: This study shows that the presence of B19 DNA in anemic HIV infected patients is not associated with chronic anaemia in HIV infection because no significant association exist.


Keywords: Parvovirus B19; anemia; human immunodeficiency virus; polymerase chain reaction.  


Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 1729-0503
print ISSN: 1680-6905