Parvovirus B19: A DNA virus associated with multiple cutaneous manifestations

Abstract

Parvovirus B19 is a community DNA virus with worldwide distribution with up to 85% seroprevalence in the elderly. There is a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations in parvovirus B19 infection of which cutaneous involvement is the most frequent one. Although most of these are self-limiting conditions, there are numerous syndromes and autoimmune diseases in which parvovirus B19 is postulated as a triggering factor, given its ability to induce the production of various autoantibodies and promote the presentation of autoantigens to T cells. This review describes the spectrum of cutaneous manifestations of parvovirus B19 infection and the evidence supporting its association with each of them. We propose a new classification of different diseases with cutaneous manifestations linked to parvovirus B19, based on the amount and quality of available evidence in the literature.