Abstract
A reemergence of parvovirus B19 infections in Spain in early 2024 prompted a 10-year review of the virus at a tertiary center. We identified 8 case-patients with neurologic manifestations who had parvovirus B19 in cerebrospinal fluid. Early recognition and management of parvovirus B19–associated neurologic conditions will help yield favorable outcomes.
Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/8/25-0278_article
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
We report widespread detection of parvovirus B19 in Texas Wastewater using hybrid-capture virome sequencing across 43 sites. Wastewater signal correlated with clinical cases at institutional, county, and state levels and preceded case surges by one month. Full-genome coverage enabled real-time mutation tracking, highlighting wastewater's utility for epidemiologic surveillance.
Source: MedRxIV, https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.07.25331044v1
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Summary
-- What is already known about this topic?
- Parvovirus B19 (B19) is a respiratory virus that can cause adverse fetal outcomes in pregnant women and persons who are immunocompromised or have chronic hemolytic blood disorders. After relatively low rates during the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2021–2023, B19 activity in 2024 exceeded that of prepandemic years.
-- What is added by this report?
- Data from the National Syndromic Surveillance Program indicated that the proportion of sera specimens positive for B19 antibodies during January–May 10, 2025, was higher than during the same period in 2024, suggesting a sustained increase in B19 transmission.
-- What are the implications for public health practice?
- Health care providers should have a heightened suspicion of and consider providing testing for B19 infection among groups at high risk for severe outcomes, including pregnant women with compatible symptoms or exposure to B19. Among pregnant women, health care providers should remain vigilant for fetal complications related to B19 infection. Pregnant women and persons at increased risk for complications from B19 infection might consider using additional prevention strategies (e.g., wearing a mask around other persons).
Abstract
Parvovirus B19 (B19) is a respiratory virus primarily transmitted through the air by persons with symptomatic or asymptomatic infection. B19 infection causes mild illness in most persons but can result in adverse fetal outcomes in pregnant women or severe disease in persons who are immunocompromised or have chronic hemolytic blood disorders. No antiviral medication exists to treat B19 infection. B19 activity typically peaks in the second quarter of the year (April–June). After low rates during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021–2023), B19 activity in 2024 exceeded prepandemic years, and CDC released a Health Advisory in August 2024 (1,2).
Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7423a3
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Highlights
• A large B19V French outbreak of an unexpected magnitude occurred, with a monthly rate that has reached 21.4%.
• During this outbreak, 50% of infected pregnant women exhibited fetal complications.
• Phylogenetic analysis revealed the co-circulation of several B19V lineages of genotype 1a, the main epidemic lineage of which emerged in 2017.
Abstract
Background
The human parvovirus B19 (B19V) infections cycle occurs in 3- to 4-year periods and is responsible for benign childhood erythema infectiosum. It is also associated with transient aplastic crisis in patients with underlying hemolytic diseases and with severe fetal sometimes fatal infection. This study investigated the epidemiological, clinical and molecular characteristics of an unusually large 2023-2024 outbreak of B19V.
Methods.
Laboratory-confirmed cases were retrospectively and prospectively recorded at the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital, France, between January, 2018 and November, 2023 and between December 2023 and May 2024 (2023/2024), respectively. Demographical and clinical data were investigated for the 2023/2024 period. Subgenome sequences (2,690 nt) were obtained by next generation sequencing for virus genotyping and temporal molecular analysis.
Results
The positive rate of B19V positive laboratory-confirmed cases was seven times higher between December 2023 and May 2024 than in the previous 5-year period (14.6% vs 2.1%, p<0.001). No atypical clinical presentation or increased pathogenicity were observed, but this large outbreak resulted in a higher number of severe infections in pregnant women (8/16, 50.0% of fetal complications) and those with chronic anemia. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the 2023/2024 outbreak in France and Europe was mainly driven by a pre-existing lineage of B19V 1a subgenotype that emerged in 2017 (95% highest posterior density interval: 2000-2018).
Conclusions
The recent epidemic of B19V infections re-illustrates the immunity gap of the post-pandemic COVID-19 pandemic. This highlight the impact of any outbreak on at-risk population and the need for a more global and genomic surveillance.
Source: Journal of Clinical Virology, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S138665322500040X?dgcid=rss_sd_all
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
Neurological manifestations associated with human parvovirus B19 (B19V) infections are rare and varied. Acute encephalitis and encephalopathy are the most common, accounting for 38.8% of all neurological manifestations associated with human B19V. Herein, we report on the clinical features of 13 laboratory-confirmed human cases of B19V-associated encephalitis in Senegal in the framework of a hospital-based surveillance of acute viral encephalitis conducted from 2021 to 2023. Overall, B19V was detected from 13 cerebrospinal fluid samples using specific real time PCR. The mean age was 16.7 years among B19V-positive patients, with a higher prevalence in 0–5-year-old children and the sex ratio (male/female) was 2.25. The B19V-positive patients mainly exhibited hypoleukocytosis, normal glycorrhachia, and normal proteinorrachia in the cerebrospinal fluid. While the main neurological symptoms included meningeal and infectious syndromes. Furthermore, three complete B19V genome sequences were successfully characterized using next-generation sequencing. The newly characterized sequences belonged to the genotype 1a and represent, to date, the first complete B19V genome sequences from Senegal. These sequences could be useful not only in future phylodynamic studies of B19V but also in the development of prevention or treatment countermeasures. Our study is noteworthy for the identification of acute B19V-associated encephalitis in Senegal More investigations on the risk factors associated with B19V transmission in Africa are warranted.
Source: Viruses, https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/1/111
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
