Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Adapting Gastrointestinal Organoids for Pathogen Infection and Single Cell Sequencing under Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Conditions
07:59

Adapting Gastrointestinal Organoids for Pathogen Infection and Single Cell Sequencing under Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Conditions

Published on: September 10, 2021

Human bocavirus, a respiratory and enteric virus

Diego Vicente1, Gustavo Cilla, Milagrosa Montes

  • 1Hospital Donostia, San Sebastián, Spain.

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|June 8, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Human bocavirus (HBoV) was found in the feces of Spanish children with gastroenteritis. This finding is significant as it is the first report of HBoV fecal shedding, raising concerns about its transmission routes.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a known cause of respiratory illness in children.
  • The transmission routes and clinical significance of HBoV, particularly in gastroenteritis, are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of human bocavirus (HBoV) in children with gastroenteritis in Spain.
  • To determine if HBoV is shed in the feces of affected children.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 527 children diagnosed with gastroenteritis.
  • Fecal samples were analyzed for the presence of HBoV using molecular detection methods.

Main Results:

  • Human bocavirus (HBoV) was detected in 9.1% (48/527) of children with gastroenteritis.
  • The detection frequency was similar to that observed in children with respiratory illness (7.7%, 40/520).
  • This study provides the first evidence of HBoV detection in human feces.

Conclusions:

  • Human bocavirus (HBoV) is present in the fecal samples of children with gastroenteritis in Spain.
  • The fecal shedding of HBoV suggests potential fecal-oral transmission routes, warranting further investigation.
  • These findings expand the understanding of HBoV's clinical manifestations and transmission dynamics.

More Related Videos

Infection of Primary Nasal Epithelial Cells Grown at an Air-Liquid Interface to Characterize Human Coronavirus-Host Interactions09:02

Infection of Primary Nasal Epithelial Cells Grown at an Air-Liquid Interface to Characterize Human Coronavirus-Host Interactions

Published on: September 22, 2023

Handling of the Cotton Rat in Studies for the Pre-clinical Evaluation of Oncolytic Viruses06:13

Handling of the Cotton Rat in Studies for the Pre-clinical Evaluation of Oncolytic Viruses

Published on: November 24, 2014

Related Concept Videos

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease01:29

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a widespread pathogen that primarily targets infants and young children but also poses a serious health risk to elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Belonging to the Pneumoviridae family, RSV is a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus within the Pneumovirus genus. Its global health burden is significant, with millions of cases annually resulting in hospitalizations and mortality, particularly in resource-limited settings. Although most...
Poliomyelitis01:17

Poliomyelitis

Poliomyelitis is caused by poliovirus, a small, non-enveloped, positive-sense RNA virus of the Picornaviridae family and Enterovirus genus. Transmission occurs primarily via the fecal-oral route, often through ingestion of contaminated water or food. The virus initially replicates in the oropharynx and intestinal mucosa, particularly in lymphoid tissues such as the tonsils, Peyer’s patches, and regional lymph nodes. Primary viremia follows, allowing dissemination throughout the body.In most...
Coronavirus01:29

Coronavirus

Coronaviruses, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), are enveloped viruses characterized by their single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome and helical nucleocapsid structure. The hallmark of these viruses is their club-shaped spike (S) glycoproteins that protrude from the viral envelope, facilitating attachment to host cells. Typically, coronaviruses infect the upper respiratory tract, often causing mild or asymptomatic disease. However, certain strains like...
Human Virome01:26

Human Virome

The human body harbors a vast and diverse viral community known as the human virome. The virome includes bacteriophages that infect bacteria, and eukaryotic viruses that infect human cells. Transient dietary and environmental viruses also contribute to this dynamic ecosystem. Estimates suggest the human body may contain on the order of 10¹³ viral particles, though abundance varies widely by body site and detection method.Comprehensive characterization of the virome has become possible only with...
Viral Recombination00:57

Viral Recombination

Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
Bacteriophages of the Human Virome01:23

Bacteriophages of the Human Virome

Bacteriophages are found throughout the human body. They may even outnumber eukaryotic viruses, forming an important and dynamic component of the human virome. Indeed, phages represent the most abundant viral entities, with densities in the gut reaching up to 10⁹ particles per gram of fecal matter, and many belonging to orders such as Caudovirales and Microviridae, while a substantial proportion remains unclassified as viral “dark matter.”Lysogeny and Genetic ExchangeIn the gut, bacteriophages...