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

Background It has been demonstrated that infection with human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is associated with rash–fever illnesses. The present study aimed to investigate B19V as an aetiological agent of rash–fever syndromes in Congolese children confirmed as measles and rubella IgM-negative. An ELISA IgM test and PCR were performed to screen for B19V. Methods A total of 177 archived serum samples were randomly selected from the measles biobank of the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB). Samples were investigated for anti-B19V IgM and B19V DNA. These samples originated from children <5 years of age with measles-like rashes, previously confirmed as negative for both measles and rubella IgM. Results Out of 177 serum samples tested by ELISA and 168 tested by PCR, 109 were positive for B19V IgM antibodies (61.6%) and 87 (51.8%) were positive for B19V DNA. Positive samples in both assays were from all provinces of DRC. Conclusions B19V plays a role in rash–fever illnesses in children under 5 years of age suspected of having measles or rubella infections in DRC. As an aetiological cause of rash and fever syndromes, the present study demonstrates that B19V should also be considered during the laboratory investigation of rash–fever illnesses in DRC, particularly in the paediatric population. There is a need to conduct further studies in order to gain a better understanding of the spatiotemporal pattern of B19V and to define the genotype(s) of B19V circulating in DRC.