Self limiting lupus-like symptoms in patients with parvovirus B19 infection

Parvovirus B19 causes polyarthritis in adults.1 Several observers have noted a lupus-like syndrome2,3 and production of autoantibodies associated with this infection.4 We describe here two white patients with acute parvovirus B19 infection and a transient lupus-like syndrome. ### Case 1 A 41 year old woman had a transient polyarthritis of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints after her first delivery at the age of 30, and she developed photosensitivity, and reported dryness of the eyes for some years. In 1998 she had an influenza-like illness with polyarthralgia, myalgia, and fever. She also had a massive UV light exposure with tanning. Two days later she developed polyarthritis of the wrists, MCP, and PIP joints. Her 4 year old child had a fever and facial skin rash just before her disease. One week after the start of her polyarthritis she had a normal blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), rheumatoid factor, complement, immunoglobulin levels, urine analysis, liver enzymes, creatinine …