A case of prolonged human parvovirus B19 DNA-emia associated with polyclonal B cell activation

The current paper reports an 8 year old girl with arthralgia and polyclonal B cell activation induced by human parvovirus B19 infection (HPV B19). The infection was diagnosed by the presence of the virus genome in sera. The patient presented with transient arthritis in the wrist, ankle joint and neck and elevation of immunoglobulin IgM antibodies to HPV B19 and rubella, antibodies to Mycoplasma and antistreptolysin O but without the typical clinical features of erythema infectiosum. The polyclonal B cell activation was paralleled by the presence of the virus genome of HPV B19 in sera. In some children with arthralgia, it is important to examine the genomes of viruses that may cause arthritis as well as the antibody titers to the viruses.