Human bocavirus infection in children hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis in China

Background: Human bocavirus (HBoV) was first identified in children with acute respiratory-tract infections, but recent studies have revealed that HBoV is also frequently detected in fecal specimens from children with gastroenteritis. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of HBoV in children hospitalized with gastroenteritis in different areas of China. Study design: Employing ELISA, RT-PCR or PCR, we evaluated 1216 fecal samples for common diarrheal agents from children aged less than 5-year-old hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis. MEGA software was used to construct phylogenetic trees of the VP1/VP2 partial sequences of the HBoV genome. Results: There were 67 HBoV-positive specimens, 52 (77.6%) were co-infected with rotavirus, norovirus, astrovirus, or enteric adenovirus. Statistical analysis of the clinical data indicated that children infected with both rotavirus and bocavirus did not have more severe clinical symptoms than children infected with rotavirus. The phylogenetic analysis of the VP1/VP2 partial sequences of the HBoV genome revealed a single genetic lineage. Conclusions: Despite its high infection rate, there was no statistically significant a causual relationship between HBoV and gastroenteritis in children. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.