Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded lung and liver tissue from
23 cases of non immune hydrops fetalis and five control cases,
in which hydrops were 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
positives were obtained. These were all confirmed as positive
by a nested polymerase chain reaction assay. Electron
microscopy revealed virus in all these five positive cases.
The six B19 DNA positive cases of hydrops fetalis were from
1974, 1980, 1982, 1987 and 1988, four of which occurred during
the second half of the year, confirming the seasonality of the
disease.
