Sketchy Micro: Parvovirus

Question 1

Describe Parvovirus.

Answer 1

• DNA virus (green-blue tones of the room)
• Naked (kid is playing with a statue of David)
• Smallest DNA virus (like the TINY town in the middle of the room)
• Single-stranded (like the SINGLE runway for the plane)

Question 2

How is Parvovirus transmitted?

Answer 2

Respiratory droplets

(Think of the kid spraying the water gun to remember droplets.)

Also, it is a ToRCHeS infection (like the torch held by the toy Statue of Liberty)

Question 3

The disease caused by Parvovirus has three names: _____________________.

Answer 3

• Slapped-cheek disease (because it causes red cheeks)
• Fifth disease (like the five finger marks left on your face when you get slapped)
• Erythema infectiosum

Question 4

What rash is characteristic of fifth disease and how is it distinguishable from sixth disease?

Answer 4

Fifth disease presents with a rash that starts on the cheeks and moves to the trunk (like the toy planes whose flames start on the nose and taper toward the back), while sixth disease starts on the trunk and moves to the arms and legs (like the pink dress in the HHV6 Sketch that spared the face).

Question 5

Parvovirus commonly causes ____________ in adults.

Answer 5

arthralgia (like the adult kneeling in on the LEGOs)

Question 6

Aplastic anemia can result from Parvovirus infecting _______________.

Answer 6

patients with sickle cell (like the USSR plane with the sickle on it bombing the plastic bone)

Question 7

Why did Sketchy add cobwebs to the cupboard?

Answer 7

Because aplastic anemia causes lack of all cells except adipocytes in the bone marrow, and the resulting histologic pattern looks like cobwebs.

Question 8

Parvovirus can cause _____________ in fetuses.

Answer 8

hydrops fetalis (“essentially an extreme form of CHF in fetuses”)

(Think of the balloon baby being sprayed with the water gun.)