Seroprevalence of Erythrovirus B19 IgG Antibody among Paediatric Patients in Makkah and Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of IgG antibodies against B19 virus (B19V) in Makkah and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: B19V-specific IgG antibodies were detected by a commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in sera of 400 paediatric patients (185 males and 215 females)aged 1–17 years. Results: Of the 400 patients, 80 (20%) had sera positive for B19V-specific IgG. The difference in the prevalence of the antibodies between genders was not statistically significant (p = 0.9). The prevalence of anti- B19V antibodies increased significantly in the age group of 12–17 years as compared to younger patients (37.5 vs. 18% in those aged 1–11 years; p = 0.006). Conclusion: This study indicated a high prevalence of IgG antibodies against B19V in paediatric patients with an increase in age.