RESEARCH - Incidence and clinical significance of parvovirus B19 infection in patients with RA

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J Rheumatol. 2008 May 15.

Incidence and Clinical Significance of Parvovirus B19 Infection in

Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Kozireva SV, Zestkova JV, Mikazane HJ, Kadisa AL, Kakurina NA,

Lejnieks AA, Danilane IN, Murovska MF.

From the Department of Oncovirology, August Kirchenstein Institute of

Microbiology and Virology, Riga Stradins University, Riga; Department

of Inner Diseases, Riga Stradins University, Riga Eastern Hospital,

Clinic " Linezers, " Riga; and The State Blood Donor Center, Riga,

Latvia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and clinical significance of

human parvovirus B19 (B19) infection in patients with rheumatoid

arthritis (RA). METHODS: One hundred patients with RA and 94

apparently healthy blood donor controls were enrolled for study.

Plasma samples of patients and controls were examined for the presence

of anti-B19-specific antibodies by ELISA. B19 DNA was detected in

plasma and peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) samples of all patients

and controls as well as in synovial fluid cells of 38 RA patients by

nested polymerase chain reaction. Disease activity and clinical

manifestations were determined in RA patients with and without markers

of B19 infection. RESULTS: IgM anti-B19-specific antibodies were

detected in 24.0% of RA patients; B19 DNA was found in plasma and/or

PBL, synovial fluid cells in 34.0% (34 patients); in 14.0% of the

cases (14 patients) both markers were found. In blood donor controls,

anti-B19 IgM antibodies were observed in 16.0% (15 donors) and B19 DNA

in 6.4% (6 donors); all donors with detectable B19 genomic DNA were

IgM-positive. The disease activity in patients with and without B19

infection was similar, while the frequency of clinical complications

was significantly higher in the patients with anti-B19 IgM antibodies.

Moreover, liver failure and sicca syndrome were observed in the

viremic patients only.

CONCLUSION: Our study confirms observations regarding a high

prevalence of B19 DNA in patients with RA, and a possible role of this

viral infection in the pathogenesis of RA.

PMID: 18484700

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18484700

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