Parvovirus B19 encephalitis presenting as immune restoration disease after highly active antiretroviral therapy for human immunodeficiency virus infection

Illness occurring during the initial months of highly active antiretroviral therapy ( HAART) for human immunodeficiency virus infection may be a consequence of the restoration of an immune response against opportunistic pathogens (i.e., immune restoration disease [IRD]). We describe a young man who had AIDS complicated by parvovirus B19 infection and RBC aplasia and who developed a painless, progressive dyspraxia of the left arm and an expressive dysphasia 4 weeks after commencing effective HAART. Neuroimaging demonstrated multiple right fronto-parietal lesions, and, following extensive investigations, including a brain biopsy, it was concluded that the brain lesions represented IRD associated with parvovirus B19 infection.