Project description:Introduction. Globally, human bocavirus (HBoV) has been detected in respiratory samples from patients suffering from upper and lower respiratory diseases. In Kuwait, little is known about the epidemiological and clinical characterization of the virus and genetic characterization of the virus as a respiratory pathogen is unknown.Aim. This study aims to explore the molecular epidemiology and clinical features of HBoV isolates in patients with respiratory diseases.Methodology. Retrospectively, between 2018 and 2020, 5941 respiratory samples from patients with respiratory diseases were screened for respiratory viruses using multiplex real-time PCR. Samples that were positive for HBoV were then subjected to NP1 and VP1/PV2 phylogenetic analysis.Results. HBoV was detected in 1.9 % of the patients, with a peak incidence of infection among children <1 year old. Co-infection with other respiratory viruses was observed in 56.8 % of HBoV-positive patients. Fever, cough and respiratory distress were the most common clinical features of HBoV infection. Phylogenetic analysis of the Kuwaiti HBoV isolates revealed that all the isolates were of the HBoV-1 genotype, with slight sequence variations among the isolates.Conclusion. This study illustrated the predominance of the HBoV-1 genotype in patients with respiratory diseases in Kuwait with minimal genetic variability. It also highlighted the clinical features of HBoV-1 infection, verifying its role in respiratory diseases.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a recently discovered parvovirus associated with respiratory tract infections in children. We conducted the first systematic prospective clinical and molecular study using nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) and fecal samples. METHODS:NPAs negative for influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, and coronavirus and fecal samples from patients with acute gastroenteritis were included. On the basis of results from a pilot study using 400 NPAs from all age groups, a prospective 12-month study was conducted to detect HBoV in 1,200 NPAs and 1,435 fecal samples from patients <18 years old by polymerase chain reaction. The complete genome sequences of HBoVs from 12 NPAs and 12 fecal samples were determined. RESULTS:Of the 400 NPAs collected in the pilot study, 20 (5.0%) were found to contain HBoV, all from children <5 years old. In the subsequent prospective study of pediatric patients, HBoV was detected in 83 (6.9%) of 1,200 NPAs. Upper and lower respiratory tract infections were equally common. HBoV was detected in 30 (2.1%) of 1,435 fecal samples. Fever and watery diarrhea were the most common symptoms. The seasonality of HBoV in NPAs and fecal samples was similar. Codetection with other pathogens occurred in 33% and 56% of NPAs and fecal samples, respectively, from patients with HBoV infection. Genomes of HBoVs from NPAs and fecal samples displayed minimal sequence variations. CONCLUSIONS:HBoV was detected in fecal specimens in children with acute gastroenteritis. A single lineage of HBoV was associated with both respiratory tract and enteric infections.
Project description:Human Bocavirus 1(HBoV1), which belongs to the genus Bocaparvovirus of the family Parvoviridae, infects well differentiated human airway epithelium which is at mitotically quiescent state. To systematicaly investigate the interaction between HBoV1 and primary human airway epithelium cultured at an air-liquid interface (HAE-ALI), RNA-seq was applied to study the transcriptome profile of HAE-ALI infected by HBoV1.
Project description:Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a newly discovered parvovirus identified from pooled nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens. Human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) is a respiratory virus observed in respiratory samples from small children presenting bronchiolitis, wheezing, cough, fever, and rhinorrhea. It is the fourth most common virus detected in respiratory infections. DNA of HBoV1 was detected in up to 18% of nasal or nasopharyngeal samples and another study has been shown that over than 85% of children in the United States have antibodies to this virus. HBoV1 is a small DNA virus with a nonenveloped icosahedral capsid. This virus previously has been associated with wheezing, acute otitis media, severe pneumonia and respiratory failure. HBoV 1 has been also detected in the blood of acute respiratory patients and the selected group of immunocompromised children and also determined in healthy blood donors. The role of HBoV1 in the inflammatory process is poorly known. The aim of this project is to clarify the role of HBOV1 in the immunoregulatory mechanisms.
Project description:Human Bocavirus 1(HBoV1), which belongs to the genus Bocaparvovirus of the family Parvoviridae, infects well differentiated human airway epithelium which is at mitotically quiescent state. To systematicaly investigate the host and viral small RNA expression after HBoV1 infection of primary human airway epithelium cultured at an air-liquid interface (HAE-ALI), small RNA-seq was applied to study the small RNA transcriptome profile of HAE-ALI infected by HBoV1.
Project description:Human bocavirus (HBoV) is an emerging virus and has been detected worldwide, especially in pediatric patients with respiratory and gastrointestinal infection. In this study, we describe HBoV prevalence, genotypes circulation and DNA shedding, in stool samples from children up to two years of age in Brazil. During 2016 and 2017, 886 acute gastroenteritis (AGE) stool samples from ten Brazilian states were analyzed by TaqMan®-based qPCR, to detect and quantify HBoV. Positive samples were genotyped by sequencing the VP1/2 overlap region, followed by phylogenetic analysis and co-infections were accessed by screening other gastroenteric viruses. HBoV was detected in 12.4% (n = 110) of samples, with viral load ranging from 1.6 × 102 to 1.2 × 109 genome copies per gram of stool. From these, co-infections were found in 79.1%, and a statistically lower HBoV viral load was found compared to viral loads of rotavirus, norovirus and adenovirus in double infected patients (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found between HBoV viral load in single or co-infections, age groups or genotypes. Phylogenetic analysis identified the circulation of HBoV-1 in 38%, HBoV-2 in 40% and HBoV-3 in 22%. Continuous HBoV monitoring is needed to clarify its role in diarrhea disease, especially in the absence of classic gastroenteric viruses.
Project description:Molecular epidemiology (ME) is a branch of epidemiology developed by merging molecular biology into epidemiological studies. In this paper, the authors try to discuss the ways that molecular epidemiology studies identify infectious diseases' causation and pathogenesis, and unravel infectious agents' sources, reservoirs, circulation pattern, transmission pattern, transmission probability, and transmission order. They bring real-world examples of research works in each area to make each study design more understandable. They also address some research areas and study design aspects that need further attention in future. They close with some thoughts about future directions in this field and emphasize on the need for training competent molecular epidemiology specialists that are capable of dealing with rapid advances in the field.