Correspondence

Expression of P Antigen in Parvovirus B19–Infected Bone Marrow

N Engl J Med 1995; 332:128January 12, 1995

Article

To the Editor:

Parvovirus B19 causes erythema infectiosum,1 transient aplastic crisis,2 hydrops fetalis,3 and persistent infection in immunocompromised patients.4,5 Replication of parvovirus B19 has been demonstrated only in human erythroid progenitor cells, a tropism explained by the recent discovery of the cellular receptor of B19.6 The virus binds to P antigen of the P system blood group, as demonstrated by in vitro hemagglutination. Parvovirus B19 does not agglutinate erythrocytes from persons with the P₁ ^k or p phenotypes,6 and bone marrow from persons lacking P antigen is naturally resistant to parvovirus B19 infection, as Brown et al. have shown (April 28 issue).7

We hypothesized that in tissue infected with parvovirus B19 all cells expressing parvovirus B19 viral proteins would also express P antigen. To investigate this, we examined formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of bone marrow from patients with human immunodeficiency type 1 infection. We used an avidin–biotin–immunoperoxidase method8 with both a monoclonal antibody to parvovirus B19 proteins (3H8) and a monoclonal antibody to P antigen (αP). Three samples of bone marrow, selected for the presence of both antigens, were then stained with a double-labeling technique involving the same two monoclonal antibodies, each linked to a different fluorochrome (fluorescein isothiocyanate and Texas red). The resulting patterns of cellular staining were identical. In addition, no cells expressed one antigen without expressing the other.

We conclude that in all three cases bone marrow cells containing parvovirus B19 proteins also expressed P antigen, thus providing further evidence of the role of P antigen as the cellular receptor for parvovirus B19.

Jonathan R. Kerr, M.B.
Stephen McQuaid, Ph.D.
Peter V. Coyle, M.D.
Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast BT12 6BA, United Kingdom

8 References

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   Hsu SM, Raine L, Fanger H. Use of avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) in immunoperoxidase techniques: a comparison between ABC and unlabeled antibody (PAP) procedures. J Histochem Cytochem 1981;29:577-580
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Citing Articles (1)

Citing Articles

1. 1

   J. R. Kerr. (1996) Parvovirus B19 infection. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 15:1, 10-29
   CrossRef