Phylogenetic Analysis of Human Parvovirus B19 Sequences from Eleven Different Countries Confirms the Predominance of Genotype 1 and Suggests the Spread of Genotype 3b

Abstract

Phylogenetic analysis of 166 human parvovirus B19 sequences from 11 different countries attributed 91.57% to genotype 1, 5.42% to genotype 3b, and 3.01% to genotype 3a. Very similar viruses of genotype 1 circulated widely in Europe and Israel. Genotype 3b seems to show an increasing spread outside of Africa.Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) infections are usually associated with mild disease, but in immunocompromised and anemic patients, as well as during pregnancy, severe complications can occur. Based on the genetic variability of 994 nucleotides (nt) of the NS1/VP1-unique region junction, three distinct genotypes of B19V have been proposed (13). A recent report presented evidence that certain complications might be preferentially associated with certain virus genotypes (6). Several studies demonstrated that previously published or commercially available assays show differences in their diagnostic performance, including the inability to detect certain genotypes, especially genotype 3, subtype 3b (1, 5). Despite these important implications for the diagnosis of B19V, little is known about the genotypes prevalent in many countries.Serum samples collected between 2000 and 2008 mostly from rash/fever patients negative for both measles and rubella from 11 different countries were analyzed for B19V (Table 1). A nested PCR was performed with the forward primers e1855f and e1863f (13) and reverse primers B19-R1 (5Ј-GGGAACT TCCGGCAAACTTCCTTG-3Ј) and B19-R2 (5Ј-GTAGTCTT TTACTACTTGTGCTTG-3Ј), yielding fragments of 1,239 and 1,168 nt. Previously published reverse primers (13) have a maximum of three (e2953r) and four (e2960r) mismatches compared to B19V GenBank sequences, including 3Ј and 5Ј

Keeping Pace with Parvovirus B19 Genetic Variability: a Multiplex Genotype-Specific Quantitative PCR Assay

“…The prototype genotype 1 is the main circulating virus in all areas of the world (9). Indeed, in all clinical samples analyzed in our study and collected for two consecutive months, in two different years, positivity was confined to genotype 1, confirming its prevalent circulation in our area in accordance with the known epidemiological behavior of B19V in Europe and the United States.…”

“…Furthermore, genotype 2 is considered an older genotype, likely to be frequently present as part of the human persistent virome (bioportfolio) (22) but infrequently found as circulating virus. Genotype 3 is a circulating virus that can be prevalent in defined geographic settings (8,9). Their higher sequence divergence may pose diagnostic challenges, and primers and probes may recognize targets with lower expectation values (23,24).…”

“…Within genotype 3, two distinct subtypes are usually referred to as genotypes 3a and 3b (6). All B19V genotypes appear to cocirculate, but their relative frequencies are strikingly different: genotype 1a is ubiquitous worldwide, genotype 2 is rare and sporadically detected in different geographic settings, including Europe, and genotypes 3a and 3b are detected at higher frequencies in western Africa and at lower frequencies in other geographic areas (7)(8)(9)(10).…”

Advances in Human B19 Erythrovirus Biology

“…The latter genotype seems to be predominant in some parts of West Africa and was also isolated in three non-African countries. The high level of genetic diversity of genotype 3 viruses, of which there are several clusters within subtypes 3a and 3b, compared to that of genotype 1 and 2 viruses is indicative of a longer evolutionary history, probably in Africa (39). Regarding pathogenic properties, the clinical spectrum associated with genotype 2 or 3 virus infection has been found to be similar to that observed with genotype 1 infection.…”

Genotyping of human parvovirus B19 in clinical samples from Brazil and Paraguay using heteroduplex mobility assay, single-stranded conformation polymorphism and nucleotide sequencing

“…At the moment, genotype 1 is the most commonly detected genotype in the world, but genotype 3 has been observed in many countries as well (Hübschen et al 2009). This work shows the presence of B19V genotype 1 in Southeast, South and Midwestern Regions of Brazil through 2005, but continuous monitoring is necessary to detect all known genotypes and the emergence of new genotypes of these viruses.…”