title: Clinical and genetic analysis of Human Bocavirus in children with lower respiratory tract infection in Taiwan.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research and Diagnostics, Centers for Disease Control, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jih-Hui
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Shu-Chun
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Yung-Cheng
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hsiu-Lin
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kuei-Hsiang
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Kuo-Hao
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: Ho-Sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Hsin-Fu
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins