[Erythrovirus B19 infection].
Erythrovirus B19 has been associated with an expanding range of clinical disorders since its identification as the etiological agent of erythema infectiosum, or fifth disease of childhood: acute arthropathy, dermatologic manifestations, chronic anemia in immunocompromised patients, and transient aplastic crisis in individuals with underlying chronic hemolytic disorders. Furthermore, exposure to and infection by B19 virus can lead to serious complications during pregnancy, which may result in fetal anemia, spontaneous abortion, and hydrops fetalis. Consequently, the B19 immune status of pregnant women should be routinely determined. Because many immunocompromised patients with chronic anemia will respond positively to intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, laboratory confirmation of B19 infection is required. Since Erythrovirus B19 cannot be routinely grown in vitro, diagnostic methods for detecting the presence of B19 by molecular techniques or by investigating the specific immune response should be considered in clinical microbiology laboratories.
García Tapia
Ana María
AM
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, España.
Lozano Domínguez
María Carmen
MC
Fernández Gutiérrez del Alamo
Clotilde
C
D006801:Humans; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D016732:Parvovirus B19, Human