Human Parvovirus Arthropathy

Parvovirus B19 and the Kidney

“…The rash normally disappears within 1 wk, although recrudescences can occur for several months after emotional or physical stress or exposure to sunlight or heat (38). Arthralgias and arthritis can occur in the setting of erythema infectiosum, but arthropathy is a more common manifestation of infection in adults, particularly in women (39). It typically manifests as sudden onset of symmetric polyarthralgia or polyarthritis with a rheumatoidlike distribution involving knees, wrists, ankles, and metacarpophalangeal joints.…”

Antibodies to parvovirus B19 NS-1 protein in infected individuals

“…Infection of the immunocompromised or patients suffering from haemolytic anaemia can lead to aplastic crisis that may become life-threatening (Pattison et aI., 1981;Serjeant et al, 1993). A frequent complication in adults is an acute arthritis which usually disappears after some weeks but sometimes persists for years (Reid et al, 1985;White et al, 1985;Cohen et al, 1986;Naides et al, 1990;Ueno et al, 1993). Soon after infection, antibodies directed against the structural proteins of parvovirus B19 appear.…”

Human parvovirus B19 as a causative agent for rheumatoid arthritis

“…One of the suspects for such an agent is a virus because viral infections such as rubella, human parvovirus B19 (B19), cytomegalovirus (CMV), human T cell leukemia virus 1, and HIV often cause an acute onset of polyarthritis (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). Some cases with acute B19 infection are well known to present clinical symptoms resembling RA (1)(2)(3), and the presence of B19 DNA has been demonstrated in autoimmune diseases such as RA, systemic lupus erythematosus, adult-onset Still's disease, and polyarteritis nodosa (6)(7)(8). Although the expression of B19 protein or its isolation from the affected organ is critical to know the role of the virus in vivo, these have remained unelucidated.…”