Risks associated with human parvovirus B19 infection

Article Abstract:

Complications due to infection with human parvovirus B19, a small DNA virus affecting the ovaries, have been reported. These include transient aplastic crisis (TAC, in which bone marrow production of red blood cells is temporarily arrested), chronic anemia, and fetal death. Health-care workers and families of patients with B19 infection should be aware of the high-risk of contracting this infection. Routine infection-control practices should reduce the risk of transmission. The greatest risk of transmitting the virus occurs before symptoms of EI develop (erythema infectiosum, a small rose-colored area of irritated skin). Risk management in an environment where an EI outbreak occurs should be based on discussions with family members, health-care providers, public health officials, and employers or school officials. B19 infection during pregnancy can cause fetal death. For women known to have been exposed to the virus, a diagnostic ultrasound exam and a maternal serum alpha- fetoprotein (amniotic fluid evaluation for certain diseases) test have been used. However, the efficacy of these tests in assessing cases of B19 infection has not yet been determined. A great deal more research needs to be conducted into the health-related aspects of B19 infection, including: improved surveillance methods, refined estimation of infection rates, evaluation of treatment methods, the impact of B19 infection on patients with compromised immune systems, and determination of the risk of infection and factors associated with transmission in health-care settings. Administration of immune globulin (IG) has been used in treating these patients, but more study of IG use is needed. In addition, the development of a B19 vaccine to reduce illness and death is important.

Disease transmission, Nosocomial infections, Cross infection

---

Risks associated with human parvovirus B19 infection

Article Abstract:

B19 parvovirus was discovered in Great Britain in 1,975 blood specimens from healthy donors. The virus is the cause of erythema infectiosum and serious episodes of anemia. The virus is also involved in some cases of fetal death, acute arthritis and joint pain, and in chronic anemia in AIDS patients. The virus belongs to a family of small DNA viruses which require a second, helper virus such as adenovirus or herpes to be effective. Related parvoviruses affect dogs and cats; in general, this class of virus is species-specific. Erythema infectiosum (EI), also called the fifth disease, is the most commonly recognized illness associated with B19. EI is a childhood disease characterized by a facial rash and a lace-like rash on the trunk and extremities. The rash may be associated with pain or itching and spontaneously disappears. In some cases the rash may reappear several weeks after the initial symptoms appear. Joint pain and arthritis have been reported in some outbreaks of the condition. Although it primarily occurs in children, joint pain may be the sole symptom of the viral infection in adults. Although B19 infection usually produces a mild self-limiting disease, inoculation with a recently developed vaccine should be considered for those who are at high risk, such as patients with chronic hemocytic anemias or AIDS.

Causes of, Erythema infectiosum

---

Epidemic infectious disease risks: striving for perspective

Article Abstract:

Media reports of outbreaks of exotic viral infections should not obscure the tremendous progress that has been made in combatting serious viral infections of the past. Smallpox has been eradicated worldwide and in 1994, 68% of countries reported no polio cases. Diphtheria is seldom reported today except in areas of social and political turmoil where public health systems break down, as has happened in the former Soviet Union. A failure to properly immunize children can lead to a resurgence of communicable diseases such as measles, which staged a comeback in the late 1980's and early 1990's. The importance of vaccination has been documented in Hemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) infections, which were the most frequent cause of meningitis in children. The incidence of invasive Hib infection has dropped 95% in immunized children.

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Nutritional alterations associated with HIV infection. Management of nutritional alterations and issues concerning quality of life
• Abstracts: How nurses cope with exposure to HIV infection. Nurses' role in supporting people who are HIV positive. Home truths: palliative care nurses are in the front line as South Africa struggles to cope with its HIV epidemic
• Abstracts: Farr's law applied to AIDS projections. The epidemiologic necropsy for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Interim Guidelines for Investigation of and Response to Bacillus anthracis Exposures. (From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Abstracts: Update in infectious diseases. part 2
• Abstracts: Cytomegalovirus infection is associated with cardiac allograft rejection and atherosclerosis

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.