Antibodies to the nonstructural protein of parvovirus B19 in persistently infected patients: implications for pathogenesis.

Three patients with persistent parvovirus B19 infection, as documented by the prolonged presence of IgM directed to the viral capsid proteins and detection of viral DNA in serum by dot-blot hybridization or polymerase chain reaction (PCR), were investigated for the presence of antibodies to the nonstructural protein NS-1 of parvovirus B19. This was done by using an ELISA based on recombinant NS-1 protein. Whereas control sera displayed no reactivity, sera from persistently infected patients showed a strong specific antibody response to NS-1. Patients were followed for 3-18 months, during which IgM titers declined but IgG directed to the nonstructural protein remained detectable. The appearance of NS-1-specific antibodies might indicate an altered course of viral infection leading to the establishment of persistently active infection and subsequent destruction of cells of nonerythroid lineage.