Epidemiology and Clinical Spectrum of Human Bocavirus Infection in Children: A Retrospective Single Center Analysis.
- 1Pediatric Infectious Disease Department, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases 'Dr. Fran Mihaljević', Mirogojska 8, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
- 2Department of Microbiology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, Rockefeller Street 7, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
- 3School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Šalata 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Abstract
Background: Human bocavirus is a non-enveloped DNA virus of the Parvoviridae family, first identified in 2005 and is recognized as a respiratory pathogen across pediatric age groups, with the highest prevalence reported in children aged 6-24 months. Interpretation of HBoV infection is complicated by frequent viral co-detection and the lack of a reliable method to distinguish active infection from prolonged viral sheding. Methods: We analyzed epidemiological trends and viral co-detection rates, along with demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological features of patients aged 0-18 years infected with HBoV during a four-year period (2022-2025) at a tertiary pediatric center in Croatia. Results: Of 27,361 respiratory samples collected, 1143 (4.2%) were positive for HBoV. Annual detection rates remained stable (3.6-4.8%), with predominant winter circulation. Viral co-detection was frequent (71.0-82.7%), with adenovirus and rhinovirus being the most commonly co-detected viruses. Pneumonia was diagnosed in 23.7% of patients, with age > 24 months (aOR 2.32; p = 0.012) and higher leukocyte count (aOR 1.13; p < 0.001) recognized as associated factors. Severe disease was uncommon: seven patients required oxygen support, and four were admitted to the PICU. Around one-quarter had gastrointestinal manifestations. Prolonged HBoV detection was observed, with the longest interval being 291 days. Conclusions: This is the largest single-center study of HBoV infection in the general pediatric population in Croatia. HBoV was predominantly detected in toddlers, with frequent viral co-detection, although HBoV-related pneumonia was more common in older children. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of HBoV in respiratory illness.
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BibTeX
@article{skrbina2026epidemiology,
title = {{Epidemiology and Clinical Spectrum of Human Bocavirus Infection in Children: A Retrospective Single Center Analysis.}},
author = {Sanda Škrbina and Dominik Ljubas and Ivana Valenčak and Ivana Ferenčak and Irena Tabain and Srđan Roglić and Goran Tešović},
journal = {Viruses},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/v18101071},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42943991},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Epidemiology and Clinical Spectrum of Human Bocavirus Infection in Children: A Retrospective Single Center Analysis.
AU - Sanda Škrbina
AU - Dominik Ljubas
AU - Ivana Valenčak
AU - Ivana Ferenčak
AU - Irena Tabain
AU - Srđan Roglić
AU - Goran Tešović
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - Viruses
DO - 10.3390/v18101071
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42943991
AB - Background: Human bocavirus is a non-enveloped DNA virus of the Parvoviridae family, first identified in 2005 and is recognized as a respiratory pathogen across pediatric age groups, with the highest prevalence reported in children aged 6-24 months. Interpretation of HBoV infection is complicated by frequent viral co-detection and the lack of a reliable method to distinguish active infection from prolonged viral sheding. Methods: We analyzed epidemiological trends and viral co-detection rates, along with demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological features of patients aged 0-18 years infected with HBoV during a four-year period (2022-2025) at a tertiary pediatric center in Croatia. Results: Of 27,361 respiratory samples collected, 1143 (4.2%) were positive for HBoV. Annual detection rates remained stable (3.6-4.8%), with predominant winter circulation. Viral co-detection was frequent (71.0-82.7%), with adenovirus and rhinovirus being the most commonly co-detected viruses. Pneumonia was diagnosed in 23.7% of patients, with age > 24 months (aOR 2.32; p = 0.012) and higher leukocyte count (aOR 1.13; p < 0.001) recognized as associated factors. Severe disease was uncommon: seven patients required oxygen support, and four were admitted to the PICU. Around one-quarter had gastrointestinal manifestations. Prolonged HBoV detection was observed, with the longest interval being 291 days. Conclusions: This is the largest single-center study of HBoV infection in the general pediatric population in Croatia. HBoV was predominantly detected in toddlers, with frequent viral co-detection, although HBoV-related pneumonia was more common in older children. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of HBoV in respiratory illness.
SN - 1999-4915
ER -