Which infection is commonly seen in women who care for sick children, mothers, and daycare workers?

• A. Cytomegalovirus
• B. Influenza
• C. Parvovirus B19
• D. Adenovirus

Answer: (C)

Parvovirus B19 is the infection most classically associated with women who care for sick children, such as mothers and daycare workers. The virus spreads readily in childcare settings through respiratory droplets, so caregivers are among the groups at higher risk for exposure.

In adults, Parvovirus B19 often presents with acute symmetric arthralgia and sometimes arthritis, especially in the small joints of the hands and wrists. This rheumatologic presentation can mimic other inflammatory arthritis, which is why Parvovirus B19 is a key consideration in a patient with new joint symptoms after contact with infected children. In children, the typical presentation is erythema infectiosum (slapped-cheek rash), but the adult pattern—joint symptoms after exposure—is the link to the caregiver scenario.

Cytomegalovirus, influenza, and adenovirus can also cause illness, but they do not have the same characteristic pattern of transmission in childcare settings coupled with the common rheumatologic arthritis presentation seen with Parvovirus B19.