Parvovirus B19 infection in AIDS patients

Bone marrow of 61 HIV-1-infected patients and 23 control patients was examined to determine the incidence of B19 infection and its clinical impact in HIV-1-infected persons. Of the 61 HIV-infected patients studied, ages ranged from 22-47 years with a mean of 33.2 years. There was a man:woman ratio of 3.8:1. With regard to staging of HIV disease at the time of bone marrow sampling, 52 patients were CDC group 4, 5 patients were CDC group 3, and 4 patients were CDC group 2. Control patients, were not known to be HIV-1-infected, and had one of the following conditions: lymphoma, leukaemia, thrombocytopenia, thrombocytosis, anaemia, multiple myeloma, raised serum IgM. Thirteen of 61 HIV-infected patients and 0 of 23 control patients were positive for B19 DNA in bone marrow (two-tailed P value = 0.016). Within the HIV-infected group, the average haemoglobin among persons testing B19 DNA positive (n = 13) was 11.1 g/dl, compared with 11.5 g/dl among persons testing B19 DNA negative (n = 48). In conclusion, B19 persistence may be common and frequently subclinical in AIDS patients.