Human bocavirus 1 and 3 infection in children with acute gastroenteritis in Brazil

• Published in: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Vol. 107; no. 6; pp. 800 - 804
• Main Authors: Sousa, Teresinha Teixeira de, Souza, Menira, Fiaccadori, Fabíola Souza, Borges, Ana Maria Tavares, Costa, Paulo Sucasas da, Cardoso, Divina das Dôres de Paula
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Brazil Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 01.09.2012; Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)
• Subjects: Acute Disease; acute gastroenteritis; Brazil; Brazil - epidemiology; Child, Preschool; DNA, Viral - analysis; Feces - virology; Female; Gastroenteritis - epidemiology; Gastroenteritis - virology; human bocavirus; Human bocavirus - classification; Human bocavirus - genetics; Human bocavirus - isolation & purification; Humans; Male; molecular characterisation; PARASITOLOGY; Parvoviridae Infections - epidemiology; Parvoviridae Infections - virology; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Seasons; TROPICAL MEDICINE; Brazil; Brazil; acute gastroenteritis; molecular characterisation; human bocavirus
• ISSN: 0074-0276; 1678-8060; 1678-8060; 0074-0276
• DOI: 10.1590/S0074-02762012000600015

To determine the positivity rate of human bocavirus (HBoV) 1 and 3 among children who presented with acute gastroenteritis symptoms during the period of 1994-2004 in the Central-West Region of Brazil, 762 faecal samples were tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of HBoV DNA. Primers for a segment of the non-structural viral protein 1 (NS1) gene of HBoV-1 and HBoV-3 were used. Twelve HBoV-positive samples were further characterised via genomic sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Of the samples tested, 5.8% (n = 44) were positive for HBoV-1 or HBoV-3 and co-infection was observed in 14 (31.8%) of the 44 HBoV-positive samples. Nine of the 14 samples were also positive for Rotavirus A and five were positive for Aichi virus. The genomic sequencing of the NS1 partial sequence of 12 HBoV-samples showed that 11 samples were characterised as HBoV-1 and that one was characterised as HBoV-3. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the HBoV-1 samples had a high sequence homology to others previously identified in China, Sweden and Brazil. This is the first study conducted in the Central-West Region of Brazil to detect HBoV-1 and HBoV-3 in faecal samples from children with acute gastroenteritis. Further studies are required to define the role of HBoVs as aetiological agents of gastroenteritis.