title: Parvovirus B19 infection of bone marrow in systemic sclerosis patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence of human parvovirus B19 (B19) infection in the bone marrow of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one consecutive SSc patients and 15 sex- and age-matched subjects without immunological rheumatic diseases were studied for: (i) the presence of circulating anti-B19 antibodies (anti-B19 IgG and IgM type and anti-B19 NS1 IgG) detected by means of standard methodologies, and (ii) B19 genomic sequences in sera and bone marrow biopsy specimens using a nested-PCR technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The presence of B19 DNA was demonstrated in a significant percentage of bone marrow biopsies from SSc patients (12/21; 57%) and was never detected in the control group (p < 0.01). In no case was the B19 viremia observed, while serum anti-B19 NS1 antibodies, possible markers of B19 persistent infection, were more frequently detected in SSc patients than in controls (33% vs 13%). SSc patients with bone marrow B19 infection showed a shorter mean disease duration than B19-negative patients (5.6 +/- 4.2 vs 12.7 +/- 7.8 yrs; p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first demonstration of bone marrow B19 infection in a significant percentage of SSc patients. The possible etiopathogenetic role of B19 should be verified in a larger patients series and further investigated by means of molecular biology studies.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy. c.ferri@int.med.unipi.it
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zakrzewska
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Longombardo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Giuggioli
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Storino
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pasero
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azzi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000821:virology; D001855:Bone Marrow Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology; D016732:Parvovirus B19, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G