PARVOVIRUS B19 INFECTION IN-HOSPITAL WORKERS - COMMUNITY OR HOSPITAL ACQUISITION

A suspected nosocomial outbreak of parvovirus B19 infection in a mater nity ward was investigated in February 1994. Questionnaires were admin istered and sera collected from maternity ward staff (n = 91), other w ard staff in the same hospital (n = 101), and maternity ward staff at a nearby hospital (n = 81), Blood donors (n = 265) were used as commun ity controls. Recent infection (parvovirus B19 IgM positivity) in susc eptible persons (parvovirus B19 IgG-negative or IgM-positive) was comm on among all 4 groups (23%-30%). This high rate of recent infection oc curred during a large community outbreak of fifth disease, Environment al samples collected from a room where a stillborn parvovirus B19-infe cted fetus was delivered were positive for parvovirus B19 DNA. Thus, t his suspected nosocomial outbreak actually reflected transmission outs ide the hospital, but contaminated environmental surfaces were identif ied as one potential source for transmission of parvovirus B19.