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An outbreak of parvovirus b19 infection; a study of clinical manifestations and the incidence of fetal loss

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Summary

Eighty-five cases of B19 infection were diagnosed in Northern Ireland from 1984 to 1989; 65 of these occurred during 1989, the outbreak year. Of the total 85 cases, 15 had a rash, 21 had arthralgia, 47 had a rash and arthralgia, and 2 had aplastic crisis. The age range was 4-63 years with a mean of 26.9 years. Thirty cases (35%) were referred to hospital; 25 of these had arthralgia and 2 had aplastic crisis.

Two thousand four hundred pregnant women at 12 weeks gestation in 1989 were screened for anti-B19 IgM; 8 were positive. Of these 8 patients, 7 progressed to delivery of a normal fetus and one had an intra-uterine death at 26 weeks gestation; no congenital abnormalities were noted in any fetus. The incidence of fetal involvement in maternal B19 infection in this study was therefore 12.5%.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Victoria Hospital, BT12 6BA, Belfast

    J. R. Kerr, H. J. O’Neill, P. V. Coyle & W. Thompson

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  1. J. R. Kerr
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  2. H. J. O’Neill
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  3. P. V. Coyle
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  4. W. Thompson
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Kerr, J.R., O’Neill, H.J., Coyle, P.V. et al. An outbreak of parvovirus b19 infection; a study of clinical manifestations and the incidence of fetal loss. I.J.M.S. 163, 65–67 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02943018

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02943018

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