Aplastic anemia due to B19 parvovirus infection in cadaveric renal transplant recipients: an underestimated infectious disease in the immunocompromised host.
Parvovirus B19 has been identified as the etiological agent of "fifth disease" in childhood. It is also a rarely reported cause of anemia in transplanted patients. During a period of 18 months we observed four cases (2 male and 2 female; 53 +/- 4.24 years) of severe aplastic anemia due to parvovirus B19 in kidney transplant patients. The overall incidence of the disease was 6.3% of all our transplanted patients. Symptoms of the disease occurred 22.5 +/- 9.75 days post-operatively. Serum creatinine was 1.5 +/- 0.35 mg/dl. Hb was 6.58 +/- 0.6 g/dl. All patients recovered with 15 days of high doses of commercial immunoglobulins. We conclude that B19 parvovirus infection is probably an underestimated disease in transplant patients. It is a first-period infection, probably donor-transmitted. High dose immunoglobulins are an effective but costly therapy.
Bertoni
E
E
Renal Unit, Careggi and University Hospital, Florence, Italy.
Rosati
A
A
Zanazzi
M
M
Azzi
A
A
Zakrzewska
K
K
Guidi
S
S
Fanci
R
R
Salvadori
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000209:etiology*; D002102:Cadaver; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016731:Erythema Infectiosum / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D004279:DNA, Viral