HUMAN PARVOVIRUS B19 INFECTION AND HYDROPS-FETALIS IN RIO-DE-JANEIRO,BRAZIL

Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded lung and liver tissue from 23 cases o f non immune hydrops fetalis and five control cases, in which hydrops weve due to syphilis (3) and genetic causes (2), were examined for the presence of human parvovirus B19 by DNA hybridisation. Using in situ hybridisation with a biotynilated probe one positive case was detected . Using 32P-labelled probes in a dot blot assay format, five further p ositives were obtained. These were all confirmed as positive by a nest ed polymerase chain reaction assay. Electron microscopy revealed virus in all these five positive cases. The six B19 DNA positive cases of h ydrops fetalis were from 1974, 1980, 1982, 1987 and 1988, four of whic h occurred during the second half of the year, confirming the seasonal ity of the disease.