TY  - JOUR
AU  - Lawatsch, Lorraine
AU  - Baier, Michael
AU  - Milde, Till
AU  - Gruhn, Bernd
TI  - Significance of parvovirus B19 infection in childhood - collection of demographic data, clinical presentation, diagnostic findings and the impact on patients with hemolytic anemia.
JO  - Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease
VL  - 114
IS  - 4
SN  - 0732-8893
CY  - Amsterdam [u.a.]
PB  - Elsevier Science
M1  - DKFZ-2026-00105
SP  - 117263
PY  - 2026
AB  - Parvovirus B19 is a known cause of erythema infectiosum, aplastic crises and severe anemia, especially in patients with hemolytic anemia. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and diagnostic parameters of parvovirus B19 infection in children with and without hemolytic anemia and to record the course of case numbers in recent years.We retrospectively included all patients diagnosed with acute parvovirus B19 infection at the Department of Pediatrics, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany between 2016 and 2024. Diagnosis was confirmed by positive parvovirus B19 IgM serology and/or PCR testing. Both demographic and clinical data as well as diagnostic parameters were collected and analyzed, focusing on differences between children with and without underlying hemolytic anemia.Among the 40 pediatric patients included in this study, 14 patients were diagnosed with hemolytic anemia. Children with hemolytic anemia suffered from a significantly greater hemoglobin drop and a significantly higher need for transfusion compared to children without hemolytic anemia. A Poisson regression model, adjusted for observation time, was used to compare case rates between 2016 and 2022 and 2023-2024.The model demonstrated a more than fivefold increase in parvovirus B19 cases in 2023-2024 compared to 2016-2022.Children with hemolytic anemia, such as spherocytosis, are at higher risk of severe anemia and require more frequently transfusions during acute parvovirus B19 infection. The observed increase in cases after 2022 suggests changing epidemiological patterns and highlights the need for careful surveillance and early diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in affected children.
KW  - Acute anemia (Other)
KW  - Erythema infectiosum (Other)
KW  - Hemolytic anemia (Other)
KW  - Hemolytic disorders (Other)
KW  - IgM antibodies (Other)
KW  - PCR (Other)
KW  - Parvovirus B19 (Other)
KW  - Pediatric hematology (Other)
KW  - Pediatric infection (Other)
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:41529596
DO  - DOI:10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2026.117263
UR  - https://inrepo02.dkfz.de/record/307634
ER  -