Acute parvovirus B19 infection in connection with a flare of systemic lupus erythematodes in a female patient

Background: Since its discovery parvovirus B19-infections could be linked t o a growing variety of diseases. Besides the harmless exanthema erythema in fectiosum perferentially observed with B19-infections in childhood a panel of rather serious and also chronic courses that may be associated with anem ia, thrombocytopenia, arthritis and others have been described. Objective: In a 26-year-old female patient an acute parvovirus B19-infection was follo wed by a serious episode of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Here we dem onstrate the clinical and serological parameters which were observed in the patient during that episode in addition to the nucleotide sequence of the virus isolate. Results and conclusion: In this patient parvovirus B19 was n ot the initial causative agent for SLE. However the B19 infection was follo wed by a severe flare of SLE and therefore may be considered as an enhancer of the autoimmune disease. The amount of nucleotide variability observed i n the viral genome was in the range known from other B19 isolates. An eleva ted degree of mutations in antigenic domains was not detectable. Therefore, we would like to emphasize the possible role of parvovirus B19 in the aeti ology or the enhancement of autoimmune diseases like SLE and the necessity of an according differential diagnosis. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.