Abstract

A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF PARVOVIRUS B19 INFECTION ON BETA THALASSEMIC PATIENTS AND RELATED CYTOKINES RESPONSES

Layla Hassan Khayoun, Dr. Mohammed Khalifa Khudair* and Yasir Abd Al – Fatah Shihab

ABSTRACT

Parvovirus B19 is a single-strand DNA, non-enveloped icosahedral virus. Its genome length is 5596 nacl from Parvoviridae family. Beta thalassemia is heredity disease from parent to offspring, it causes abnormalities in hemoglobin production which causes red blood cells breakage, in turn, causing severe anemia. Materials and Methods: Samples were collected from beta-thalassemia patients from 72 patients and 13 controls. RT-PCR was used to detect the virus in samples and ELISA was used to measure the concentration of IL-6 and INF-γ. Results: The study showed the percentage of the viral infection was 52% in patients and all controls were healthy, the viral infection increases with the number of blood transfusions, the infection was the highest with age group 16-20 years old. It was noticed that the concentration of IL-6 in patients which was infected with the virus was lower than in controls; the concentration of INF-γ was also lower than in controls, no significant difference. Conclusions: the viral infection in thalassemia patients increased with blood transfusion, the highest infection rate was in the age group 16-20 years old. IL-6 and INF-γ concentrations drop in infected patients.

Keywords: Human B19V, Beta Thalassemia, Cytokines.