Structure and mapping of the DNA of human parvovirus B19.

DNA from human parvovirus B19 was prepared from infected serum and examined by electron microscopy. Double-stranded molecules were seen, often with characteristic 'fold-back' ends that were assumed to be due to the inverted terminal repeats of the genome DNA. This double-stranded DNA was mapped with 13 restriction enzymes. More than 40 isolates, including the virus from the original B19 serum, were compared. Although isolates could be grouped by this method, there was no correlation between a particular restriction endonuclease map and any of the several disease presentations of the virus.