Summary
Infection with human parvovirus B19 has been documented in two persons with hereditary spherocytosis during a crisis of acute erythroblastopenia and also in a woman suffering from polyarthralgia, whose child developed erythema suggestive of fifth disease, a few days earlier. The etiologic role of HPV was suggested by the detection of HPV-particles (EM: 1/2), virus-specific antigens (CIE: 1/2) and viral DNA (dot-blot hybridization: 1/3) in serum samples of the patients as well as by the presence of significant anti-HPV IgM antibody levels (2/3). Apart from acute erythroblastopenia, which is now currently associated with HPV infection in persons with hereditary spherocytosis and other congenital hemolytic anemias, wc also recommend to look for infection with HPV in any case of polyarthropathy of recent onset.