Human Parvovirus B19

Abstract

The two articles on human parvovirus B19 infection in this issue of the Journal ^{1 , 2} make important contributions to our understanding of the epidemiology and treatment of the disease. Since its discovery in 1975, B19 has been shown to have a number of distinct clinical presentations.³ It is a common infection, especially among school-age children; consequently, in most studies, more than 50 percent of adults have serologic evidence of past infection. The illness most often associated with infection is erythema infectiosum, or fifth disease. A patient with erythema infectiosum is typically healthy except for an erythematous rash on the face (slapped-cheek . . .