Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 1999, p. 2483-2487, Vol. 37, No. 8
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Laboratoire de Virologie,
Received 21 December 1998/Returned for modification 15 April
1999/Accepted 6 May 1999
Erythrovirus (formerly parvovirus) B19 causes a wide range of
diseases in humans, including anemia due to aplastic crisis. Diagnosis
of B19 infection relies on serology and the detection of viral DNA by
PCR. These techniques are usually thought to detect all erythrovirus
field isolates, since the B19 genome is known to undergo few genetic
variations. We have detected an erythrovirus (V9) markedly different
from B19 in the serum and bone marrow of a child with transient
aplastic anemia. The B19 PCR assay yielded a product that hybridized
only very weakly to the B19-specific probe and whose sequence diverged
more from those of 24 B19 viruses (11 to 14%) than the divergence
found within the B19 group (
6.65%). Restriction enzyme analysis of
the V9 genome revealed that this genetic divergence extended beyond the
amplified region. Interestingly, serological tests failed to
demonstrate a response characteristic of acute B19 infection. V9 could
be a new erythrovirus, and new diagnostic tests are needed for its detection.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut
Pasteur, Unité de Génétique et Biochimie du
Développement, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, 75 724 Paris Cedex 15, France.
Phone: 33 1 45 68 85 65. Fax: 33 1 40 61 34 40. E-mail:
nqt{at}pasteur.fr.
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