Human bocavirus infection in istanbul

Purpose: Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a recently discovered virus which is a member of Parvoviridae family. It is mostly detected in respiratory tract and stool specimens in pediatric patients with the diagnosis of acute respiratory tract infections and gastroenteritis, respectively. Material and Methods: Hospitalized children aged 1-56 months with the diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) were included in this prospective study between February 1st 2009 and May 21st 2009. HBoV DNA was investigated by PCR method. A questionarrie form was applied for all of the patients. Written informed consent of a parent or legal guardian was required Results: Among the total of 120 hospitalized children who were investigated for HBoV the mean age was 9.9 months (1-56 months). HBoV DNA PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs was positive in 8 (6.7%) of 120 patients. In HBoV (+) lower respiratory tract infection group, to have an ill subling with similar symptoms and number of sublings ( and #8805;3 or more) were found to be risk factors. In HBoV (+) group serum level of C-reactive protein was significantly lower than HBoV (-) group. Conclusion: The clinical spectrum of HBoV infection ranges from no symptoms or mild respiratory symptoms to severe acute respiratory disease. Since there is lack of data investigating the frequency of HBoV respiratory tract infections in our region, our study has importance for providing new data. [Cukurova Med J 2016; 41(4.000): 762-766]