26116 Parvovirus B19 Antibodies, IgG and IgM, Serum (PARVS)

B19

Erythrovirus B19

Fifth Disease

Human Parvovirus

This assay may be used to determine serostatus of patients at risk for infection with parvovirus B19.

Results may be used, along with clinical evaluation and additional laboratory findings, to determine recent or past infection status with parvovirus B19.

Specimens drawn prior to seroconversion may yield negative IgM and IgG antibody results, while specimens drawn after IgM antibody levels have begun to decline may yield negative IgM antibody results. The results of a single assay or a combination of IgM and IgG EIAs should not preclude additional testing. Follow-up testing of convalescent samples may be beneficial to establish infection status.

The continued presence or absence of antibodies cannot be used to determine the success or failure of therapy.

Test results of specimens from immunocompromised patients may be difficult to interpret. Testing should not be performed as a screening procedure for the general population.

Testing should only be done when clinical evidence suggests the diagnosis of parvovirus B19-associated disease.

The performance of this test has not been established on neonates and immunocompromised patients.

Specimens containing antinuclear antibodies may produce equivocal or positive test results in the IgM assay.

Epstein-Barr virus-positive specimens may produce positive or equivocal test results in the IgM assay.

Assay performance characteristics have not been established for matrices other than serum.

Parvovirus B19 may result in an asymptomatic infection or produce a wide spectrum of disease ranging from erythema infections (slapped cheek syndrome or fifth disease) in children to arthropathy, severe anemia, and systemic manifestations involving the central nervous system, heart, and liver depending on the immune competence of the host.(2,3) Infection with parvovirus B19 in pregnant women may cause hydrops fetalis, congenital anemia, abortion, or stillbirth of the fetus.(4) Parvovirus B19 is also the causative agent of persistent anemia usually, but not exclusively, in immunocompromised patients, transplant patients, and infants.

Most acute infections with parvovirus B19 are diagnosed in the laboratory by serologically detecting IgG and IgM class antibodies with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay testing.