Parvovirus B19
- Also Known As:
- Parvovirus
- Parvo B19

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.At a Glance
Why Get Tested?
To determine if you have, or recently had, a parvovirus B19 infection if you are at increased risk of complications from this viral infection; if a fetus is at high risk of contracting parvovirus B19 from a mother who is infected or has been exposed
When To Get Tested?
When a pregnant woman has a parvovirus B19 infection or has been exposed to someone with the virus; when someone, especially an immune-compromised person, has persistent or severe anemia
Sample Required?
A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm for parvovirus B19 antibody testing; to detect the virus itself, the sample tested may be blood or, rarely, bone marrow; in certain cases, fetal cord blood or amniotic fluid may be collected to test for fetal parvovirus B19 infection.
Test Preparation Needed?
None
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The reference ranges for your tests can be found on your laboratory report. They are typically found to the right of your results.
If you do not have your lab report, consult your healthcare provider or the laboratory that performed the test(s) to obtain the reference range.
Laboratory test results are not meaningful by themselves. Their meaning comes from comparison to reference ranges. Reference ranges are the values expected for a healthy person. They are sometimes called “normal” values. By comparing your test results with reference values, you and your healthcare provider can see if any of your test results fall outside the range of expected values. Values that are outside expected ranges can provide clues to help identify possible conditions or diseases.
While accuracy of laboratory testing has significantly evolved over the past few decades, some lab-to-lab variability can occur due to differences in testing equipment, chemical reagents, and techniques. This is a reason why so few reference ranges are provided on this site. It is important to know that you must use the range supplied by the laboratory that performed your test to evaluate whether your results are “within normal limits.”
For more information, please read the article Reference Ranges and What They Mean.
What is being tested?
Parvovirus B19 is a virus that causes a common childhood illness, also called “fifth disease” or “erythema infectiosum.” The virus is found in respiratory droplets during an infection and is easily transmitted to others through close physical contact. Parvovirus can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus and transmitted through exposure to blood and blood products.
In the United States, as many as 50% of adults and 85% of the elderly have been infected with parvovirus B19, usually as children or young adults. The infection typically has an incubation period of several days to 2-3 weeks, is active for a short period, and then begins to resolve.
For most people, parvovirus B19 infection is indistinguishable from other mild illnesses that develop and go away within a short time period. Many who are infected have no symptoms or have mild flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, a slight fever, headache, or an upset stomach, and many may not know that they have had a parvovirus B19 infection. The majority of people do not experience any significant symptoms or health problems and once the initial infection resolves, the person becomes immune and will not get the infection again.
Some children with the infection develop a characteristic and distinctive bright red “slapped-cheek” rash on both cheeks and a raised lacy rash on the torso and extremities. The rashes may come and go for several weeks, reappearing and/or intensifying with exposure to heat and sunlight and with stress. By the time the rash appears, the child is no longer considered infectious. Parvovirus is sometimes called fifth disease because it is the fifth of six common childhood illnesses that can cause rashes.
Less commonly, some adults become infected and may develop “gloves and socks syndrome” with painful swelling of joints and reddening of the hands and feet that typically ends abruptly at the wrists and ankles. This condition usually resolves within a few weeks. Symptoms of arthritis may also occur in adults and children, but like “gloves and socks syndrome,” tends to resolve a few weeks after infection. Some severe cases, however, have been tied to chronic arthritis and even to the development of rheumatoid arthritis.
Parvovirus B19 can cause major health problems in three types of patients:
- People with iron deficiency anemia or a condition that affects or shortens the life of red blood cells (RBCs), such as sickle cell anemia or thalassemia, may develop severe acute anemia during a parvovirus B19 infection. Parvovirus B19 targets cells in the bone marrow that become RBCs and disrupts the production of new RBCs, which can more severely affect those with underlying blood disorders.
- Women who are infected during pregnancy can pass the infection to their babies. Most fetuses will be fine, but a small percentage will develop severe anemia and a few may have an inflammation and infection of the heart muscle (myocarditis). These conditions can cause miscarriage, congestive heart failure in the fetus, hydrops fetalis (associated with fluid accumulation), and sometimes stillbirth. The greatest risk for fetal complications is during the second trimester of pregnancy.
- In those with compromised immune systems, a parvovirus B19 infection may cause chronic anemia and be challenging to resolve. This includes people with HIV/AIDS, those who have had organ or bone marrow transplants, and those undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
Parvovirus B19 testing is not typically used to screen the general population and is not deemed necessary in most cases of infection because symptoms are mild and time-limited. It is usually ordered to determine whether someone is currently, or has recently been, infected with parvovirus only if they are at risk of complications. It may also sometimes be ordered to determine whether someone has ever been exposed to parvovirus. Testing involves either a measurement of parvovirus antibodies—immune proteins produced in response to parvovirus B19 exposure—or the detection of the genetic material of the virus itself (its DNA) during an active infection.
Common Questions
View Sources
Sources Used in Current Review
Cennimo, D. and Dieudonne, A. (2016 November 14, Updated). Parvovirus B19 Infection. Medscape Pediatrics: General Medicine. Available online at http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/961063-overview. Accessed on 6/25/17.
Couturier, M. and Hillyard, D. (2017 May Updated). Parvovirus B19. ARUP Consult. Available online at https://arupconsult.com/content/parvovirus-b19. Accessed on 6/25/17.
Mayo Clinic Staff (2015 March 24). Parvovirus infection. Mayo Clinic. Available online at http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parvovirus-infection/basics/definition/con-20023045. Accessed on 6/25/17.
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Sources Used in Previous Reviews
Pagana, K. D. & Pagana, T. J. (© 2007). Mosby’s Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Reference 8th Edition: Mosby, Inc., Saint Louis, MO. Pp 708-709.
Clarke, W. and Dufour, D. R., Editors (© 2006). Contemporary Practice in Clinical Chemistry: AACC Press, Washington, DC. Pp 1232.
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