title: Human bocavirus infection in hospitalized children in Italy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human bocavirus (HBoV) was first discovered in Sweden in 2005 and has now been found worldwide; however its role in clinically relevant diseases has not yet been clearly defined.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To gain new insight into HBoV infection among children hospitalized with acute respiratory infections in Rome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between November 2004 and May 2007, 415 nasal washings were tested for the presence of an extensive range of respiratory viruses using molecular methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Viral pathogens were detected in 214 children (51.6%), 28.9% being respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and 9.6% being rhinovirus positive. Of the 34 children (8.2%) who tested positive for HBoV, 21 (61.8%) were co-infected with another respiratory virus, mainly RSV. Human bocavirus was the only pathogen identified in four pneumonia and six bronchiolitis cases in March 2005 and January 2007, respectively. Human bocavirus was also detected in one child hospitalized with gastroenteritis and in another with erythema.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the examined population, HBoV was the third most common virus detected but with a high rate of co-infection with other respiratory viruses. Human bocavirus appeared to be the etiological agent in some pneumonia and bronchiolitis cases in which tests for all likely respiratory pathogens were negative.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, Virology Section, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy. alessandra.pierangeli@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pierangeli
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scagnolari
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trombetti
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grossi
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Battaglia
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Midulla
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Antonelli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D052660:Bocavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004890:Erythema / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D017817:Nasal Lavage Fluid / Q000821:virology; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D012229:Rhinovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012384:Rome / Q000453:epidemiology