33 year-old male. Bone marrow biopsy. Past medical history of kidney transplant due to end-stage renal disease secondary to polycystic kidney disease. Post transplant developed decreasing hemoglobin (Hemoglobin ~60, normal is 120), but was overall asymptomatic.
Case Discussion
Pure red cell aplasia occurs due to an isolated failure of erythropoiesis giving rise to anemia with reticulocytopenia. Parvovirus B19 represents a common acquired cause of pure red cell aplasia occurring in children with hemolytic disorders that result in shortened red cell lifespan including sickle cell disease, and in immunocompromised patients such as those receiving immunosuppressive medications following transplantation. The hallmark morphologic finding in the marrow is the presence of giant pronormblasts with intranuclear viral inclusion (lantern cells).
Hojilla, C., Ghaffar, H. Red Blood Cells and Bleeding Disorders, Parvovirus B19-induced pure red cell aplasia. Digital Laboratory Medicine Library, Dept of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto. Published
. Accessed December 17, 2025. https://dev.dlml.cflabs.ca/image/red-blood-cells-and-bleeding-disorders-parvovirus-b19-induced-pure-red-cell-aplasia-lmp98674
