Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesCohort study
Severe Myocarditis Increase in Children Associated With Parvovirus B19 Infection
- Registry-based cohort study
- multicentre
- 27 centres
Authors' conclusion
The increase in pediatric myocarditis since August 2023 was associated with B19V, more likely explained by disproportionately young current cases and young children's vulnerability than a virulent strain.
Study context
- Population
- Children with myocarditis in the pediatric multicenter registry (MYKKE), Germany126 (13.6%) B19V myocarditis
- Participants
- 922 children
- Exposure
- Current vs past B19V myocarditis cases
- Currentn = 57
- Outcome
- Association among parvovirus B19 (B19V), myocarditis increase and severity
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
B19V myocarditis increase and severity
P = 0.007
- Current B19V cases of 126 (increase vs other myocarditis causes)
- 57 of 126 (45.2%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Current cases: age and sex
- <2 years of age
- 64.9%
- Female
- 56.1%
Phylogenetic analysis
- B19V genotype 1A, without sequence variants indicating increased virulence
Original publication
Severe Myocarditis Increase in Children Associated With Parvovirus B19 Infection. JACC Heart Fail. Published 5 January 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jchf.2025.102854
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it