Human Bocavirus
20 Aug, 08 | by Ian Wacogne
In hospitalised Spanish children, Human Bocavirus (HBoV) - a type of parvovirus - was the second most commonly discovered viral infection after RSV, and was found in children with a variety of clinical presentations. Here.
Here’s another virus to add to my “I can’t test for it yet at my place” list - HBoV. Actually, it isn’t that long a list - the only other one on it is metapneumovirus. And oddly enough, now I come to look it up, this article - which started to make me wonder about metapneumovirus - is by the same authors.
So, are they just trawling their patients, finding new viral associations? Or is it really clinically significant - should it be something I test for? My usual question for this is: Will it change my management? And my answer? Perhaps. Why? Because of how I respond to adenovirus. During the middle of the yearly bronchiolitis epidemic I usually get one baby who doesn’t get better fast enough, and they begin to make me nervous. And then, after a day or two, I get an NPA which is positive for adenovirus. And then - and perhaps I’m wrong in this - I relax quite a bit, recognising that the clinical course is going to be about twice as long as RSV bronchiolitis. So, if I knew enough about these two viruses, maybe it would save me worrying, and more importantly, stop me investigating unnecessarily.
I think there is conflicting information on the significance of this virus, a recent paper in the Paediatric Infectious Disease Journal had different conclusions - abstract below
Paediatric Infectious Disease Journal 27 August 2008
von Linstow M, Hogh M, Hogh, B
BACKGROUND: Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a recently discovered parvovirus that has been detected in respiratory samples from children with acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) and in feces from children with gastroenteritis. However, its role as a causative agent of respiratory disease is not determined.
METHODS: We investigated the presence of HBoV by real-time polymerase-chain reaction of nasal swab specimens obtained from 228 healthy children followed in the community from birth to 1 year of age for a 2-year period from 2004 to 2006. Nasal swabs and symptom diaries were collected at monthly home visits.
RESULTS: HBoV was detected in 57 (8.2%) of 697 nasal swab specimens from children with ARTI, in 1 (2.3%) of 44 swabs from children with diarrhea, and in 13 (8.6%) of 152 swabs from asymptomatic children. HBoV was present mainly during the winter months. An additional respiratory virus was identified in 27 (47.4%) HBoV-positive samples. Thirty-four (68%) of 50 children with ARTI shed HBoV for less than 1 month, 13 (26%) for 2 months, 2 (4%) for 3 months, and 1 (2%) for 4 months. Seven asymptomatic children shed HBoV for less than 1 month, 2 children for 2 months, and 1 asymptomatic child had 5 HBoV-positive nasal swabs detected for 6 consecutive months. HBoV infection was associated with maternal smoking, being born in the winter, and predisposition to asthma.
CONCLUSIONS: Asymptomatic carriage of HBoV is common in infants <1 year of age, and an HBoV-positive test result does not imply that HBoV is the cause of the illness.
Clive Graham
September 18th, 2008 at 8:49 am