Clinical characteristic analysis on anemia associated with human parvovirus B19 infection in liver transplant recipients

Objective：To detect the diagnosis and therapy of pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) associated with human parvovirus B19 (HPV B19) after liver transplantation operation. Methods：The clinical characters, diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of 19 liver transplant recipients confirmed to have PRCA induced by HPV B19 infection were described and analyzed. Results：Nineteen liver transplantation recipients were reported to have anemia within 2 months after surgery. The patients were diagnosed as PRCA by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and other possible causes for anemia were excluded. All recipients achieved remission after the intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) treatment. Conclusions：For patients with unexplained PRCA early after liver transplantation, the possibility of HPV B19 infection should be considered after other possible causes are excluded. PCR detection for HPV B19 is the main method for the diagnosis of PRCA. Early treatment with IVIG can achieve a good therapeutic effect on PRCA associated with HPV B19 after liver transplantation.