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Parvovirus B19 infection
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Parvovirus B19 infection is what causes fifth disease, also called erythema infectiosum. It is seen mainly in children 5 to 15 years old.
Parvovirus B19 is a non-enveloped virus, and its genetic material is single-stranded DNA. To get into a cell it has to find one specific molecule, the P antigen, which acts as its receptor, that is, the lock it opens. Erythroid progenitors, the cells that red blood cells come from, carry that antigen, and that is where the virus replicates preferentially. That is why it halts erythropoiesis, the production of red blood cells, for a time. It is like shutting down a factory's production line without touching what is already in the warehouse.
In a person who already has chronic hemolytic anemia, in which red blood cells are destroyed early, that pause can trigger a life-threatening aplastic crisis.
In brief
Parvovirus B19 infection causes fifth disease, also called erythema infectiosum, mainly in children 5 to 15 years old.
The virus, which is non-enveloped and carries single-stranded DNA, needs the P antigen as its receptor and replicates preferentially in erythroid progenitors, halting erythropoiesis for a time.
It is like shutting down a factory's production line without touching what is already in the warehouse.
That is why, in someone with chronic hemolytic anemia, it can trigger a life-threatening aplastic crisis.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingParvovirus B19 Infection, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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