Background :The mechanisms responsible for the disturbed hematopoiesis in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) include the expansion of abnormal clones, defects in cellular differentiation and he perturbation in the production of hematopoietic regulatory factors. Recently, viral infection such as immunodeficiency virus is known to induce myelodysplasia. And viral infection evokes the production of several cytokines. Therefore, abnormal production of cyrokine may be a potential candidate for the pathogenesis of MDS after viral infections such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human parvovirus B19. Method :We investigated bone marrow aspiration slides from 17 patients with MDS referred for the bone marrow study, over a period from January, 1992 to April, 1996. To clarify the contribution of EBV and human parvovirus B19 infections to the pathogenesis of MDS, DNA-PCR for EBV and human parvovirus Bl9 was used. Result :The EBV and human parvovirus B19-PCR results were all negative in 17 patients with MDS. Conclusion :EBV and human parvovirus Bl9 infections may not be associated with the major pathogenesis of MDSope
