title: Parvovirus B19 infection in a liver transplant recipient: case report and review in organ transplant recipients.
abstract: We report an adult liver transplant recipient with parvovirus B19 infection, presenting as chronic transfusion-dependent anemia ensuing 1 month post-transplantation. Both serum and bone marrow cells were positive for parvovirus B19 DNA detected by polymerase chain reaction. The bone marrow biopsy revealed erythroid hypoplasia with a selective decrease of nucleated red cell precursors, and giant pronormoblasts with prominent intranuclear inclusions, characteristic of parvovirus B19 infection. Anemia and viremia resolved shortly after administration of immunoglobulin, suggesting a therapeutic role. This case and several similar ones in the literature provide justification for a controlled clinical trial of immunoglobulin for parvovirus-induced anemia in transplant recipients.
authors.affiliation: VA Medical Center, Infectious Disease Section, Pittsburgh, PA 15240, USA.
authors.forename: F Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gayowski
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Marino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D016732:Parvovirus B19, Human; D011183:Postoperative Complications