Background and objectives: Umbilical cord blood (UCB) was used to source hematopoietic stem cells in the past. Despite the apparent advantages of UCB transplantation, virus reactivation poses a considerable danger in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Human Parvovirus B19 is regarded as a potential threat to UCB contamination. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of parvovirus B19 in cord blood donors by Semi-Nested PCR. This study is the first largescale report of the B19 DNA in cord blood donors in Iran.
Materials and methods: A total of 691 umbilical cord blood were collected under standard procedure. Then, DNA from buffy coat and plasma were extracted, and semi-nested PCR was performed for all samples.
Results: Two out of 691 samples (0.29%) indicated viremia in plasma and buffy coat.
Conclusion: In this line, designing and validating a quantitative PCR assay for detection, quantification, and discrimination of Human B19 DNA genotypes of cord blood donors is necessary to enhance the safety of this source of stem cells.
Keywords: Hematopoietic stem cells; Human parvovirus B19; Nested polymerase chain reaction; Parvoviridae; Umbilical cord blood.
Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.