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Congenital anaemia after transplacental B19 parvovirus infection
K E Brown1, S W Green, J Antunez de Mayolo
1Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Abstract:
We report three children with congenital anaemia after intrauterine infection with B19 parvovirus. All the fetuses developed hydrops fetalis that was treated by blood transfusion. After delivery the infants had hypogammaglobulinaemia. In all three, sera lacked B19 but viral DNA was found in bone marrow. All were treated with immunoglobulin. One child died and B19 was found in various tissues. In the other two cases, virus could no longer be detected after therapy but the patients remain persistently anaemic. Persistent B19 infection should be suspected in infants with congenital red-cell aplasia.