Human Parvo Virus
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What Is Parvo
Parvo virus was first identified in 1978 and within two years' it had spread all over the world. Over the years, the parvo virus has mutated into two different strains and there is evidence of a third strain present in Italy, Spain and Vietnam. Every case of canine parvo virus, or CPV, comes from the first two strains. Every different species has its own parvo virus and it cannot be spread outside of the species, so there is a human parvo virus, a canine parvo virus, a feline parvo virus, and so on.
Even though the virus cannot be spread from a cat to a dog or from a bird to a cat, they can spread the virus through contact. For instance, your cat wanders through the neighbor's yard and picks up the virus on her feet she can then bring it into your home potentially infecting any canines on the property.
The parvo virus works in two ways either through the intestines or through the heart. When a dog gets an intestinal infection, it is picked up by the animal through oral contact with contaminated feces. Simply put, your dog would have to come into contaminated feces from another dog. The intestinal dog parvo symptoms occur when the virus attacks the bone marrow, rapidly dividing cells in the intestinal crypts and the lymph nodes. This allows normally occurring bacteria from the intestines to enter the blood stream to make the animal septic. The virus can be shed in the stool for up to three weeks thus making this a very contagious disease for pets that have not been inoculated.
The cardio form of the infection is most often seen in puppies that are infected in utero or shortly after birth. It must be noted that the cardiac form of CPV is less common since the mother usually passes immunity on to her pups from birth. The virus will attack the heart in the infected pup and result in death shortly thereafter.
Dog parvo symptoms usually present themselves within 3 to 10 days of contact. They include the following: lethargy, vomiting, fever and diarrhea. The diarrhea can cause severe dehydration and secondary infections. The dog will not usually die from the virus but from a secondary infection.
The survival rate depends upon how swiftly parvo virus is diagnosed and treatment is begun. If the virus is not caught early on, the usual treatment is given through an IV line in which fluids are pushed to re-hydrate the puppy or dog more quickly. In addition to giving fluids, anti-nausea and antibiotic shots may be given intramuscularly. Given the proper care, the prognosis is good, but if care is withheld your dog will die prematurely. Most vets will strongly suggest that your pet be vaccinated against parvo about eight weeks after a puppy is weaned.Related posts:
How do you contract human parvo virus?
where does virus ususlly come from
Does anyone know anything about the Human Parvo Virus?
I was diagnosed with Parvo in May 07, It was painfull and exhausting! All my doctors said that it would only last 2 – 3 weeks and would be gone never to appear again. Now 5 months later hundreds of dollars gone and many specialist under my belt I still have the virus and it is getting worse!
All doctors here are stunned and say they have never seen a case like it ( lucky me). They are saying I don’t have many options,
Option 1 – Ride it ou and hope it gets better not worse
Option 2 – Have another course of steriods, painkillers and anti-inflamitories and hope that works ( which I tried just over a onth ago and it was the worst I’ve been so far.
Option 3 – Have a blood transfusion from patients who have overcome the virus and our now carrying the antibodies in there blood. Although they don’t know if it will work and if my body will reject it.
If there is anyone out there who has had the virus or knows anything about it I would deeply appreciate hearing from you.
has anyone ever had “human parvo virus B-19″ and how ill was you with it?
i ended up catching human parvo virus B19 as my immune system is very weak as i have 2 blood conditions and have a complicated medical history. i was diagnosed by my dr that i had parvo virus B19. i was admitted into hospital twice because of it. i had raging pain from head to toe,pains in all muscles and in my kidneys,and could barely stand.. i had scans&x-ray’s on my chest,stomache,kidney scan and the usual blood and pee sample. i had to have another blood test last week,and my gp informed me i am through the worst of it. was just wondering has anyone else out there had this horrid virus,and how long did it take till you felt better. i was on 2 lots of 500mg a day antibiotics to be taken 3 times a day,anti sickness tablets and a very strong painkiller called acupan. its left me still feeling very weak and so very tired. how much longer do theses symptoms carry on for? , as i finnished all my anitbiotics saturday. kind genuine answers please. thanks
commonly in humans, the infecting parvovirus is Parvovirus B19 which causes Fifth Disease, a benign and self-limiting viral infection, characterized by fever, joint pains and body malaises, accompanied by a slapped-cheek rash.
a common complication of parvovirus B19 infection is development of a transient aplastic anemia wherein because of the virus, the bone marrow stops producing blood. in most cases this is also a self-limited condition.
however, in certain individuals, it can progress to a chronic aplastic anemia, especially in patients with previous chronic anemia from other causes.
i’m not entirely sure what you’re physicians are treating you for. maybe you can give more specifics on this.
also try to clarify whether what your having now is related to the parvovirus infection or is it a totally different entity.
let me also suggest intravenous immunoglobulin and antivirals like acyclovir
I am 14 w pregnant and was exposed to the human parvo virus??
I am 14 weeks pregnant and was exposed to the human parvo virus. My nephew has it and I was with him on friday and saturday last week. How high are the chances that I got it? And what are the risk if I did? I talked to my doctor and got my blood drawn, but the results won’t be in till Monay and I am very worried.
Hey bomb- are you stupid. I am 14 weeks not 14 years old. I am 24 and married and the baby was planned!
Yes, I was diagnosed with this over a year ago by my GP. I was surprised as I thought I had a strong immune system and am generally healthy (although I do smoke). I’m male and in my late 30s. I had a rash that moved down my body but no other symptoms really. Then I developed joint pain and this has stayed with me since then. Sometimes it’s bad and other times just a dull ache or normality. I thought it would have gone altogether by now.
It sounds like you’ve had a bad time of it. All the info on the web seems to imply that it’s a bit of a nuisance for a little while, but I think there are people who have severe and/or lasting symtoms. I’m hoping my aching fingers, wrists and ankles (arthritic-type pain) heal soon. Cheers.
What is Human Parvo virus? Look in encyclopedia under virus. ?
Human Parvovirus is a not uncommon infection that occurs mainly in young children. The syndrome is called Fifth’s Disease, and usually presents as a body-wide rash of small, flat, red spots, usually with a fever. The infection usually resolves within a few days.
Less frequently, the virus can enter the bone marrow, shutting down blood cell production to cause aplastic anemia, which is life threatening, but this is more uncommon.
The virus that infects humans is called B-19, and is not the same virus that infects dogs.
OH MY GOSH!!! I thought that you were 14 too!!! OOPS!!!! Sorry, I think that you should be fine!! =) But keep us posted…