Influenza A and Parvovirus B19 Seropositivity Rates in Gabonese Infants

Abstract

Abstract. Clinical and epidemiological data from Central Africa on influenza A and parvovirus B19 infections are limited. We analyzed 162 blood samples of infants 3, 9, 15, and 30 months of age for IgG antibodies against both pathogens. Antibody responses were 0, 3.7%, 12.3%, and 20.4% against influenza A; and 1.2%, 2.5%, 3.1%, and 9.3% against parvovirus B19, respectively. Seropositivity rates were 89.5 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 59-120.1) and 38.2 (95% CI: 18.9-57.6)/1,000 person-years at risk for influenza A and parvovirus B19, respectively. Our data add to the understanding of the epidemiology of both conditions.Over the past decades, combating major infectious diseases in Africa such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis, and malaria rightfully enjoyed priority; other causes of fever were not in the focus of medical research. Consequently, clinical and epidemiological data on viruses such as influenza virus A and parvovirus B19 from (among other regions) Central Africa is limited, particularly for young children. However, the policy of administering an artemisinin combination therapy after confirmation of malaria by rapid diagnostic testing/randomized controlled trial (RDT-RCT) has led to the recognition that febrile disease episodes in patients suspected of malaria on clinical grounds are often a result of other causes. The burden of influenza in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) is mainly assessed by passive case detection on hospital admission or at outpatient clinics and thus probably often yields underestimates. Available data indicate that the burden of influenza is comparable to other areas in the world. 1-3Influenza A (H1N1), A (H3N2), and B viruses have been found circulating in the human population of Central Africa, with first evidence of the emergence of oseltamivir-resistant A (H1N1) strains. 4 Apart from the elderly, young children are at risk to develop severe disease often associated with complications. Children also serve as sources of secondary infections in households and communities. In our study area, van Riet and colleagues 5 found pre-vaccination antibodies against A and B influenza viruses, with those against A-H3N2 being highest. The epidemiology of parvovirus B19 is by and large unknown in sSA. In Central Africa, infection with homologues of human parvoviruses in primates is common, thus constituting a potential reservoir 6 ; for parvovirus 4, positive antibodies have been found in 35% of the adult population in the Democratic Republic of Congo.7 Although infections in immune-competent individuals are usually mild, parvovirus B19 can cause increased morbidity and even mortality in a population with a high prevalence of hematologic disorders, chronic parasitic infections, and HIV. [8][9][10][11] In this study, we assessed immunoglobulin G (IgG) serum antibodies against influenza A and parvovirus B19 in young Gabonese children to estimate the potential burden of disease in early childhood. were the same for all 1.189 IPTi-infants. Selection criteria for the 162 infants descr...

Detection of human parvovirus B19 in serum samples from children under 5 years of age with rash–fever illnesses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

“…The proportion of samples positive for anti-B19V IgM antibodies did not differ significantly between males and females in this study. This observation is similar to that reported in a previous study conducted in Gabon ( Gabor et al, 2015 ), while Bouafsoun et al found that rash–fever illnesses in the North of Tunisia were more prevalent in females than males in the age range 19 months to 4 years ( Bouafsoun et al, 2016 ).…”

“…Little is known about the epidemiology of parvovirus B19 in Sub-Saharan Africa, and there is anecdotal information about this virus in the paediatric population ( Gabor et al, 2015 , Duedu et al, 2013 , Wildig et al, 2010 ). This study appears to be the first to investigate B19V as an aetiological cause of rash–fever illnesses in DRC.…”