Acute parvovirus B19 infection mimicking chronic fatigue syndrome.

A Japanese woman developed prolonged fatigue, neck and shoulder pain, headache, pyrexia, insomnia, anorexia, lymphadenopathy, and diarrhea for two months. She had experienced various stressors before these symptoms developed. Serological test demonstrated that she had acute parvovirus B19 infection. Major depressive disorder was also diagnosed by a psychiatrist. Her symptoms disappeared after administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and oriental herbs, although human parvovirus B19 viral genome has been present in her serum for nine months. These findings suggest that parvovirus B19 causes clinical features similar to those of chronic fatigue syndrome in cases who have prior life stressors.