Human Bocavirus in Iranian children with acute gastroenteritis

BACKGROUND Human Bocavirus (HBoV) infection is of worldwide distribution. There is increasing evidencethat HBoV is pathogenic for the human gastroenteric tract. However, less data are available on the role of HBoVin gastroenteritis. The present study was aimed to determine the prevalence of HBoV in children with gastroenteritis. METHODS Real-time PCR TaqMan was used to screen 200 stool specimens that had been referred to the virologylaboratory for HBoV evaluation. All of samples were collected on viral transport media. RESULTS Of the 200 stool samples analyzed, 16 (8%) were positive for HBoV. Human Bocavirus positive samplesfrom patients aged between 1 to 5 years with acute gastroenteritis infection suggest a minor role of HBoVin gastroenteritis (p=0.0001). CONCLUSION The study showed a high prevalence of human Bocavirus in young children with acute gastroenteritisdiseases in Iran, suggesting that HBoV play a role in the pathogenesis of gastroenteritis.