Co-infection of human parvovirus B19 in Vietnamese patients with hepatitis B virus infection

Abstract

Background/Aims: Human parvovirus B19 (B19) has been identified in the serum of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected patients. However, the effect of B19-infection on the course of HBV-associated liver disease has not previously been investigated. We examined the prevalence of B19-DNA in HBV-infected Vietnamese patients and analysed the association between co-infection and the clinical outcome of HBV-infection. Methods: Serum samples from 399 HBV-infected patients and 64 healthy individuals were analysed for the presence of B19-DNA by PCR and DNA-sequencing. Results: B19-DNA was detected in 99/463 (21.4%) individuals. The proportion of HBV-infected patients who were also co-infected with B19 was..