Parvovirus B19 and Pregnant Women: A Bibliographic Review

Primary infection with parvovirus B19 is an uncommon but serious and treatable cause of chronic anemia in immuno compromised hosts. Widely distributed, it is responsible for a wide range of clinical manifestations, the characteristics and outcome of which depend on the interaction between the viral properties and the physiological and immune status of the infected individuals. Infection during pregnancy can result in fetal anemia, abortion, and hydrops. Pregnancy does not appear to affect the course of the infection, but the infection may affect the pregnancy. The diagnosis of B19V can be made by serological and molecular investigation of the mother, fetus and newborn. In these conditions, it seemed necessary for us to answer in this article the various questions raised by the occurrence of a contagion and/or an infection with Parvovirus B19 during pregnancy. Our objective was to determine at first the nature and the main characteristics of Parvovirus B19 as well as its propagation during the pregnancy and to show its risk for the pregnant woman and her fetus. The importance of the subject is proven by the data on the spread and incidence of the virus. Worldwide, the focus on pregnancy is due to the additional potentially fatal effects on the fetus. This document covers the important aspects of a medical investigation: causes, symptoms, tests and diagnosis.