title: Parvovirus B19 infection in pediatric transplant patients.
abstract: Evidence of recent parvovirus virus infection (as determined by the presence of a positive IgM antibody titer) without other identified causes of anemia was found in 5 of 26 pediatric solid-organ transplant recipients evaluated for moderate-to-severe anemia between June 1990 and July 1991. Anemia tended to be chronic (median duration of anemia at the time of diagnosis was 12 weeks) and was associated with normal red blood cell indices in the absence of reticulocytes. The median age of the children at the time of presentation with anemia due to parvovirus was 1.8 years at a median time of 8 months after transplantation. Four of the 5 children were treated with i.v. immunoglobulin because of persistence of anemia requiring blood transfusions. A response characterized by an increase in reticulocyte count and normalization of hemoglobin was seen in each of these patients 2-4 weeks after treatment. The remaining patient experienced a spontaneous recovery from her anemia. Parvovirus infection should be included in the differential diagnosis of solid-organ transplant recipients presenting with severe anemia associated with low or absent reticulocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nour
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Michaels
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reyes
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tzakis
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gartner
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McLoughlin
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Starzl
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016731:Erythema Infectiosum / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007223:Infant; D007501:Iron / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D017701:Reticulocyte Count
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; D005492:Folic Acid; D007501:Iron