Role of Human Bocavirus infections in outbreaks of gastroenteritis.
BACKGROUND
Human Bocavirus (HBoV) is considered to be responsible for lower respiratory tract infections in small children. Recent publications also reported the detection of HBoV in stool samples of gastroenteritis patients. Therefore HBoV might be associated with gastroenteritis cases.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence and the causative role of HBoV in gastroenteritis outbreaks in day care facilities for children.


METHODS
We examined 307 stool samples using a real time PCR protocol for HBoV load. Samples were collected from 48 independent outbreaks of gastroenteritis in day care facilities.


RESULTS
HBoV was detected in 14/307 stool samples (4.6%). HBoV load in the samples was low and the 14 HBoV positive samples were distributed among 13 different outbreaks. Coinfections with Norovirus in single samples were frequent (57.1%), but no gastroenteritis outbreak could be associated with HBoV infection or coinfection.


CONCLUSIONS
This study indicates that HBoV is not a causative agent for gastroenteritis outbreaks.
Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority; Department of Infectious Diseases, Veterinärstrasse 2, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany. Campe@lgl.bayern.de
Hartmut
H
Campe
Christine
C
Hartberger
Andreas
A
Sing
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D052660:Bocavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D029322:Norovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D015995:Prevalence