Objective: The association of parvovirus B19 infection with many rheumatologic disease, including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, polymyositis has been suggested, although the exact relationship between the infection and these disorders is not understood. Several cases of fibromyalgia have been reported after parvovirus B19 infection, but systemic investigation of parvovirus B19 infection in Korean patients with fibromyalgia has not been performed. This study was designed to investigate the clinical significance of human parvovirus B19 infection in Korean patients with fibromyalgia. Methods: Serum from 54 patients with fibromyalgia and 61 age and sex matched healthy controls were tested for IgM and IgG anti-parvovirus B19 antibodies by two different commercially available ELISA kits and presence of parovovirus B19 DNA was measured by PCR. Results: IgM antibodies to parvovirus B19 were detected 1 fibromyalgia patient in one assay and 1 patient in the other assay. No controls had positive IgM antibodies. No difference was seen between fibromyalgia patients and controls with the IgG andtibodies to parvovirus B19 in two different assays. Parvovirus B19 DNA was detected in 3 fibromyalgia patients, but not in controls. Conclusion: Our data showed that fibromyalgia could be triggerd by parvovirus B19 infection, but parvovirus B19 is unlikely to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of Korean patients with fibromyalgia.

Keywords: Parvovirus B19, Fibromyalgia