Parvovirus B19 associated neutropenia. Treatment with Rh G-CSF

In a 39-year-old patient under follow-up for metastatic adenocarcinoma of the colon, a post-operative fever and a profound neutropenia occurred during hospitalization. A diagnosis of primary infection with parvovirus B-19 was made in view of the association of reticulocytopenia, together with anti-B19 IgM antibodies and positive serum results for viral DNA. The granulocytic lineage appeared to be normal on bone-marrow smears, and anti PMN autoantibodies were not found. Rh G-CSF therapy resulted in a sharp increase in the PMN count. Although the pathophysiology of B19-associated neutropenia remains unclear, Rh G-CSF seems to be effective in this disorder.