Human bocavirus in Iranian children with acute respiratory infections

Naghipour, Mohammadreza; Cuevas, Luis E.; Bakhshinejad, Tahereh; Dove, Winifred; Hart, C. Anthony

Human bocavirus (HBoV), a virus discovered in Sweden in 2005, has been associated with acute respiratory infections in young children and subsequent reports suggest that HBoV may have a worldwide distribution. This report describes the frequency and clinical presentation of HBoV in 261 Iranian children<5 years old with acute respiratory infections attending two regional hospitals in Rasht, Iran in the winter of 2003–2004. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription PCR (RT‐PCR) were used for the detection of HBoV and other respiratory pathogens from nasopharyngeal specimens. HBoV was detected in 21 (8%) children. Fifteen (12%) of these children were identified among 122 children admitted to hospital and 6 (4%) from 139 outpatients (P < 0.05). Most children with HBoV were less than 2 years (17/21, 81%) and 7 (33%) were less than 1 year old. Although HBoV was identified in all ages it affected slightly older children than the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The frequency of the virus varied from 1 (3%) in 40 patients in November to 7 (12%) of 61 in February, suggesting a seasonal pattern during the autumn and early winter. Seven children had co‐infections with RSV, adenovirus or influenza A. The relatively high frequency of HBoV suggests that the virus may contribute substantially to acute respiratory infections in children. J. Med. Virol. 79:539–543, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.