Molecular epidemiological characterization of human bocavirus (HBoV) in acute respiratory infection (ARI) patients in Yucheng, China.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and genetic profile of human bocavirus (HBoV) among patients with acute respiratory infection (ARI) in Yucheng, Henan, China.

METHODS

A total of 1,153 throat swabs were collected from ARI patients between March and June 2023. These samples were tested for 18 pathogens using quantitative chain reaction (qPCR). The VP1 gene were amplified and sequenced from HBoV-positive samples. The viral genetic characterization was analyzed by comparing the HBoV1 sequences with reference sequences.

RESULTS

Of the 1,153 samples, the detection rate of HBoV positive was 6.85%, primarily detected in May 2023. The majority of HBoV positive cases were found in children under 5 years old. Clinical manifestations in HBoV-positive patients predominantly were fever and cough, with a clinical diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infection. Other viruses were also detected in 20% of HBoV-positive samples. All HBoV sequences identified in this study belonged to HBoV1, with the Ib sublineage being the predominant strain circulating in Yucheng during March-June 2023.

CONCLUSION

After the implementation of the optimized COVID-19 prevention and control strategy in December 2022, HBoV infection was prevalent in Yucheng, Henan in May-June 2023, mainly among children younger than 5 years old, especially those under 2 years old. The Ib sublineage of HBoV was the dominant circulating strain in Yucheng, Henan during March-June 2023.