No association between human parvovirus B19 infection and Sjögren’s syndrome

The association of human parvovirus B19 (HPVB19) infection with autoimmune disease, including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, polymyositis, and vasculitis, has been suggested, although the exact relationship between the infection and these disorders has not been fully elucidated.1,2 A recent report showed serological evidence of past B19 infection associated with the presence of cytopenia in patients with primary Sjogren’s syndrome (SS).3 To gain more information about the aetiopathogenetic role of HPVB19 for this disease, we evaluated the presence of the viral genome in minor salivary glands from patients with primary SS. We studied 10 women with SS (mean (SD) age 45 (9) years) and 10 healthy controls matched for age (43 (6) years) and sex. SS was diagnosed according to European criteria.4 Each subject taking part in the study underwent minor …