Neurological Manifestations Associated with Parvovirus B19 Infection in Immunocompetent Children: Case Series and Systematic Review
Vinícius Silva Monteiro, Djane Clarys Baía-da-Silva, Valderjane Aprigio Silva, Guilherme Augusto Pivoto João, Eveny Perlize Melo Marinho, Nádia Cubas-Vega, Fernando Val, Aline Stephanie Pérez-Gómez, Rossiclea Lins Monte, Adolfo José da Mota, Marcus Lacerda, Michele Souza Bastos
Abstract
An increasing number of reports have described human parvovirus B19 infection in association with a variety of neurological manifestations, especially in children. This study assessed the clinical and laboratory outcomes found in a case series of immunocompetent children who tested positive for parvovirus B19 by qualitative polymerase chain reaction assays of cerebrospinal fluid, in a tertiary referral center in the western Brazilian Amazon. We screened 178 children with clinically diagnosed central nervous system infections (meningoencephalitis). Of these, five (2.8%) were positive for parvovirus B19. A literature review also presented herein identified a further 50 cases of parvovirus B19 with neurological manifestations. Thus, even if the classic signs of parvovirus B19 infection are absent, such as the well-known rash, children with signs of neurological infection should also be evaluated for parvovirus B19 infection.