Severe Human Bocavirus Infection, Germany

Robert Walter Körner

, Maria Söderlund-Venermo, Silke van Koningsbruggen-Rietschel, Rolf Kaiser, Monika Malecki, and Oliver Schildgen

Author affiliations: Children’s Hospital of the University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany (R.W. Körner, S. van Koningsbruggen-Rietschel); University of Helsinki and Haartman Institute, Helsinki, Finland (M. Söderlund-Venermo); University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne (R. Kaiser); Kliniken der Stadt Köln gGmbH, Cologne (M. Malecki, O. Schildgen)

Abstract

Human bocavirus (HBoV), discovered in 2005, can cause respiratory disease or no symptoms at all. We confirmed HBoV infection in an 8-month-old girl with hypoxia, respiratory distress, wheezing, cough, and fever. This case demonstrates that lower respiratory tract infection caused by HBoV can lead to severe and life-threatening disease.

Human bocavirus (HBoV; family Parvoviridae; genus Bocavirus) was discovered in 2005 and is distributed worldwide (1). Four species of HBoV have been identified (HBoV1–4). Increasing evidence indicates that HBoV causes infections of the respiratory tract. Numerous studies depict HBoV as a co-pathogen but also show that its prevalence in asymptomatic patients is high.

HBoV has gained considerable clinical relevance since its discovery. It has been detected in respiratory specimens, and when it causes disease, it seems to have a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms. Although certain features make HBoV infection distinguishable from other viral infections, a diagnosis cannot be made clinically. We report a case of severe HBoV infection that led to hypoxia, respiratory distress, wheezing, cough, and fever.

Suggested citation for this article: Körner RW, Söderlund-Venermo M, van Koningsbruggen-Rietschel S, Kaiser R, Malecki M, Schildgen O. Severe human bocavirus infection, Germany. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2011 Dec [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1712.110574