Detection of human bocavirus in Canadian children in a 1-year study

Abstract

Human bocavirus was detected by PCR in 65 (5.1%) of 1,265 respiratory specimens collected in 2002 and 2003 from the Stollery Children's Hospital from children <17 years of age. The spectrum of illness included upper respiratory infection, croup, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia with a prominence of cough and fever.

FIG. 1.

Number of specimens tested for HBoV and number of specimens positive for HBoV per month.

FIG. 2.

Phylogenetic analysis of HBoV isolates. Nucleotide sequences were determined for nucleotides 4121 to 4831 of the HBoV genome representing the partial VP1/VP2 genes. The corresponding gene sequences from previously reported Sweden and French HBoV isolates were also included. Phylogenetic analysis was performed by using the neighbor-joining method of the MEGA program (7). The Swedish and French isolates are indicated by HBoV-ST and HBoV-MPT, respectively, followed by the isolate number (i.e., HBoV-ST1). The isolates presented here are indicated by CAN, followed by the isolate number and the year (i.e., CAN162-03).