Detection of, and frequent co-infection with, human bocavirus in faecal specimens from children in Wuhan, China

Abstract

A novel parvovirus, human bocavirus (HBoV), was first discovered in children with respiratory tract infections in Sweden. A retrospective study of HBoV in faecal samples from children suffering from diarrhea, covering a 3-year period (November 2000 to October 2003) in Wuhan, China, was undertaken. PCR assays were used to evaluate 214 faecal samples and to determine the role of HBoV in diarrhoea. Among 196 virus-infected children with diarrhoea, 2.55% were HBoV-positive; however, all HBoV-positive patients were co-infected with common enteric viruses. This result does not support the notion that HBoV is a viral agent causing acute diarrhoea. © 2009 The Authors. Journal Compilation © 2009 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.