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Autonomous parvoviruses with tropism for erythroid cells have recently been reclassified in a new genus, erythrovirus. Although B19 is the type member, and presently the only internationally accepted member of the erythrovirus genus, we have identified three new simian viruses, all of which have the molecular features of parvoviruses, and are highly tropic for erythroid progenitor cells. This review describes the identification of these new animal parvoviruses and summarises current knowledge of their molecular, clinical and epidemiological features. Most studies have been performed with the first virus discovered, simian parvovirus (SPV), which was isolated from anaemic cynomolgus monkeys. SPV is currently under investigation as an animal model for B19 parvovirus infection. Clinical similarities and molecular homology to parvovirus B19 justify the inclusion of these novel viruses as new members of the erythrovirus genus. Copyright 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In vitro colony formation of bone-marrow erythroid progenitor cells in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) was examined. The numbers of early and late erythroid progenitors (BFU-E and CFU-E) showed wide variations; two cases out of eight cases of PNH showed decreased erythroid colony formation, but other cases showed normal or rather increased colony formation of BFU-E and CFU-E. The number of erythroid progenitors in patients with PNH may be related to the marrow cellularity.

A patient with increased chromosome breakage and multiple congenital malformations is described. The lack of any apparent quantitative or qualitative disturbance in hemopoiesis and adequate number of myeloid and erythroid progenitor cells and the absence of certain clinical features such as webbed neck and absence of dark pigmentation in the patient did not support the diagnosis of the Fanconi pancytopenia syndrome. The cytogenetic studies revealed increased chromosome breakage at G1 phase, a finding which is also at variance with that observed in patients with the Fanconi pancytopenia syndrome.