Human parvovirus B19 infection in bone marrow transplantation patients

We report the results of a survey of parvovirus B19 infection carried out with the aim to evaluate the frequency and the role of this infection in bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients, as it is known that B19 virus can persist in clinical circumstances of immunodeficiency. Fifty-one patients subjected to BMT in the Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of Florence were enrolled in this study. Immunological and virological indications of B19 infection were tested weekly during the stay in hospital. A high rate of seroconversion or B19 antibody rise was observed, but, in absence of B19 IgM or B19 DNA presence, this result seems to be attributable to a passive immunization, rather than to a recent viral infection. In these 51 patients, as well as in 59 others not included in this study, clinical manifestations imputable to B19 infection have never been observed. It is possible that the isolation measures and the intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) administration may contribute in preventing B19 infection in the BMT recipients at least until the hospital discharge.