Persistent B19 parvovirus infection in pediatric malignancies.
METHODS
The frequency and clinical importance of parvovirus B19 infection were studied in children investigated or treated for various malignancies and cytopenias.


RESULTS
B19 infection was thus demonstrated in six out of 53 unselected children with malignancies by bone marrow examination, using the B19, DNA-specific, polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Examinations using the PCR in serum samples were equally or less sensitive than in bone marrow samples. One of the children had a persistent B19 infection during maintenance therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She developed a prolonged and severe cytopenia, and the clinical signs included facial rash, chills, high undulating fever, and pharyngitis. She also seroconverted and became B19 IgM-antibody positive during the study period.


CONCLUSIONS
Parvovirus B19 infection was detected in 10% of the children and was either asymptomatic or was associated with severe and prolonged cytopenia. Bone marrow examinations are recommended for the detection of B19 DNA in immunosuppressed children.
Department of Clinical Virology, Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Stockholm, Sweden. Kristina.Broliden@smi.ki.se
K
K
Broliden
T
T
Tolfvenstam
S
S
Ohlsson
J I
JI
Henter
D000293:Adolescent; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000821:virology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016732:Parvovirus B19, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral