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Published on: July 22, 2012
[Detection and analysis of bocavirus in hospitalized children with respiratory infection]
Wei Wang1, Shu-Xiang Lin, Sheng-Ying Li
1Tianjin Children's Hospital, Tianjin 300134, China. cosette801204@126.com.
Insights
Human bocavirus (HBoV) was detected in children with acute respiratory infections in Tianjin, China. This common viral infection primarily affects infants aged 6-36 months and peaks during summer months.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Epidemiology
Context:
- Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a significant cause of childhood morbidity globally.
- Human bocavirus (HBoV) is an emerging respiratory virus implicated in pediatric respiratory illnesses.
- Limited data exists on HBoV prevalence and genetic diversity in China.
Purpose:
- To detect human bocavirus (HBoV) in children with ARIs in Tianjin, China.
- To investigate the genetic and evolutionary characteristics of HBoV strains.
- To determine the association between HBoV and ARI severity and seasonality.
Summary:
- HBoV was detected in 4.53% of 1,259 pediatric respiratory samples from Tianjin.
- The virus was most prevalent in children aged 6-36 months and peaked during summer.
- Phylogenetic analysis revealed high homology to known HBoV sequences with minimal genetic variation.
Impact:
- This study contributes to understanding HBoV epidemiology in Chinese children.
- Findings highlight HBoV as a potential pathogen in pediatric respiratory infections.
- Identifies key demographic and seasonal patterns of HBoV infection.
Objective:
To detect human bocavirus (HBoV) and investigate its genetic and evolutionary characteristics in children with acute respiratory infection in Tianjin, China.
Methods:
A total of 1,259 samples of nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from children with a confirmed diagnosis of acute respiratory infection between January and December, 2012. Viral nucleic acid was extracted, HBoV was detected by real-time quantitative PCR, and the gene segments of nucleocapsid protein of HBoV in positive samples were amplified by PCR. Several products were randomly selected and sequenced.The sequence obtained was compared with the known sequence of HBoV, and a phylogenetic analysis was performed. All the samples were examined to detect for other common respiratory tract viruses.
Results:
Among the 1,259 samples, the positive rate of HBoV was 4.53% (57/1,259), and among the 57 samples with positive HBoV, 75% (43/57) were positive in children with an age of 6-36 months. The positive rate of HBoV in children peaked in summer (from June to August), and there was a mixed infection with other viruses. Sequence analysis was performed for the PCR products from 36 positive samples, and the presence of HBoV was confirmed, with a higher homology to the known sequence of HBoV.
Conclusions:
In Tianjin, acute respiratory infection in some children may be associated with HBoV infection, which is commonly seen in infants with an age of 6-36 months. The peak of HBoV infection occurs in summer. The phylogenetic analysis shows a high homology to the known sequence of HBoV, with few gene sequence variations.
