Clinical and genetic analysis of Human Bocavirus in children with lower respiratory tract infection in Taiwan.
BACKGROUND
Human Bocavirus (HBoV) is a likely etiologic agent of acute respiratory disease in children. The prevalence of this virus has been studied in several sites worldwide. We conducted the first clinical and molecular study of HBoV in Taiwan at the Centers for Diseases Control, Taiwan.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the genomic and epidemiologic profiles of HBoV infection in Taiwan.


METHODS
Throat swabs or nasopharyngeal aspirates were obtained from hospitalized pediatric patients with acute lower respiratory tract infections. Specimens negative for other respiratory viruses by molecular screening were examined for HBoV.


RESULTS
HBoV was the only virus detected in 30 (5.6%) of 531 samples. Of these positive cases, 56.7% were from children less than 2 years old. Two groups of HBoV co-circulated in Taiwan during the study. Results of evolutionary networks evaluation suggest that HBoV might have had an opportunity for interbreeding of viruses and genetic recombinations among the different genes.


CONCLUSIONS
HBoV may have circulated in Taiwan for some time and it appears to be one of the etiological agents responsible for lower respiratory tract infection in children.
Lin
Jih-Hui
JH
Center for Research and Diagnostics, Centers for Disease Control, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chiu
Shu-Chun
SC
Lin
Yung-Cheng
YC
Chen
Hsiu-Lin
HL
Lin
Kuei-Hsiang
KH
Shan
Kuo-Hao
KH
Wu
Ho-Sheng
HS
Liu
Hsin-Fu
HF
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D052660:Bocavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000821:virology; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D010614:Pharynx / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D015995:Prevalence; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D004279:DNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins