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. 2020 Aug:129:104453.
doi: 10.1016/j.jcv.2020.104453. Epub 2020 May 21.

Human Bocavirus infection and respiratory tract disease identified in a UK patient cohort

Arwa A Bagasi  1 , Hannah C Howson-Wells  2 , Gemma Clark  2 , Alexander W Tarr  3 , Shiu Soo  2 , William L Irving  4 , C Patrick McClure  5
Affiliations

Human Bocavirus infection and respiratory tract disease identified in a UK patient cohort

Arwa A Bagasi et al. J Clin Virol. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Since its first isolation in 2005, Human Bocavirus (HBoV) has been repeatedly associated with acute respiratory tract infections, although its role in pathogenicity remains unclear due to high co-infection rates.

Objectives: To assess HBoV prevalence and associated disease in a cohort of respiratory patients in the East Midlands, UK between 2015 and 2019.

Study design: We initially investigated the undiagnosed burden of HBoV in a retrospective paediatric cohort sampled between 2015 and 2017 using an in-house PCR assay. HBoV was subsequently incorporated into the standard respiratory diagnostic pathway and we audited a calendar year of HBoV positive results between 2018 and 2019.

Results: Our retrospective PCR screening of previously routine diagnostic-negative samples from juvenile patients identified a 9% (n = 30) prevalence of HBoV type 1. These apparent HBoV1 mono-infections were frequently associated with respiratory tract symptoms, often severe requiring ventilation, oxygen and steroid intervention with 31% (n = 9) of individuals requiring intensive care. When HBoV screening was subsequently adopted into the routine respiratory diagnostic pathway, year-round infections were observed in both children and adults peaking in February. 185 of 9098 (2.03%) individuals were found to be HBoV positive with children aged 12-24 months the principally infected group. However, HBoV infection was also observed in patients aged over 60, predominantly as a mono-infection. 23% of the 185 unique patients were HBoV monoinfected and persistent low-level DNA positivity was observed in 15 individuals up to 6-months after initial presentation.

Conclusion: HBoV1 is a prevalent respiratory infection in the UK capable of causing serious monoinfections.

Keywords: Human Bocavirus; Respiratory virus; Viral bronchiolitis; Viral co-infection; Viral mono-infection; Viral pneumonia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations of Competing Interest None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Weekly HBoV PCR positive samples recorded at NUHT between week 36 of 2018 (commencing 1st September) and week 35 of 2019 (ending 31st August).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Proportion of HBoV positive patients in first positive sample observed between weeks 36 of 2018 to 35 of 2019 grouped by age.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
HBoV viral load determined by the AusDiagnostics assay in patients sampled more than once, more than one day apart in weeks 36 of 2018−35 of 2019.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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