Clinical heterogeneity of human parvovirus B19 infection following adult liver transplantation

Severe aplastic anemia and its secondary comorbidities associated with human parvovirus B19 infection is a rare and sometimes refractory complication following liver transplantation. We retrospectively reviewed data for 217 adult liver transplant recipients from donations after death in China March 2013 through May 2017, 5 patients with human parvovirus B19 infectious diseases were teased out, and diagnoses were made from positive serological marker, bone marrow aspiration, and genome assay, other hemolytic causes were excluded. Severe aplastic anemia and its comorbidities were confirmed, combination of immunoglobulin and blood transfusion as well as immunosuppressant switch was employed for 5 recipients. Four male and 1 female recipients were diagnosed with human parvovirus B19 infections based on clinical presentations, bone marrow aspiration, and nested PCR, age ranged from 47 to 62 years, the onset time from liver transplantation varied from 29 to 415 days, anemia improved in 5 patients, 2 deaths occurred due to parvovirus-related morbidities, 1 patient died from de novo carcinoma of the tongue 2 years later and unrelated to parvovirus, 2 other recipients are still alive. Human parvovirus B19 infectious disease is a rare but clinically significant infection whose comorbidities will bring about more attentions.