Human bocavirus infections in hospitalized Greek children

Katerina Haidopoulou; Myrofora Goutaki; Lambrini Damianidou; Maria Eboriadou; Antonis Antoniadis; Anna Papa

doi:10.5114/aoms.2010.13515

eISSN: 1896-9151
ISSN: 1734-1922

Archives of Medical Science

Current issue Archive Special issues Abstracting and indexing Subscription

Editorial System

Submit your Manuscript

Editorial Policies

Sarajevo Declaration on Integrity and Visibility of Scholarly Publications

1/2010
vol. 6

Send email

Copy url:

abstract:

Human bocavirus infections in hospitalized Greek children

Katerina Haidopoulou

,

Myrofora Goutaki

,

Lambrini Damianidou

,

Maria Eboriadou

,

Antonis Antoniadis

,

Anna Papa

Arch Med Sci 2010; 6, 1: 100–103

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/aoms.2010.13515

Online publish date: 2010/03/09

View full text Get citation

Introduction: The epidemiology of human bocavirus (HBoV) infections has not been described in Greece, a south-eastern European country. To define the epidemiological profile and the clinical characteristics associated with HBoV infection in a population of children hospitalized with respiratory tract infection.
Material and methods: During a one-year period throat swab samples were collected from 370 previously healthy children, aged 14 days to 13 years, admitted to two different paediatric wards because of respiratory tract infection. Samples were tested for HBoV by PCR amplifying a part of the NS1 gene.
Results: Human bocavirus was detected in 12 children (3.2%). Four of the 12 cases were co-infections, 3 of them with influenza A and 1 with coronavirus OC43. Cases were observed only during the cold months. The mean age of children was 1.8 years (range 2 months to 4 years). The most common symptoms were fever, cough and various degrees of respiratory distress. All children were clinically diagnosed as having lower respiratory tract infections, mainly pneumonia and acute laryngotracheobronchitis, and recovered uneventfully.
Conclusions: HBoV infections occur in Greece mostly among very young children. They accounted for 3.2% of children hospitalized with acute respiratory disease. Cases were observed only in late autumn to early spring.

keywords:

Human bocavirus infections in hospitalized Greek children

Katerina Haidopoulou , Myrofora Goutaki , Lambrini Damianidou , Maria Eboriadou , Antonis Antoniadis , Anna Papa

respiratory infections, children, respiratory viruses, human bocavirus

Katerina Haidopoulou

,

Myrofora Goutaki

,

Lambrini Damianidou

,

Maria Eboriadou

,

Antonis Antoniadis

,

Anna Papa