Bocavirus: The value of syndromic testing for pediatric cases

Look beyond the usual suspects: Bocavirus in respiratory illness
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Comprehensive testing reveals the true impact of bocavirus

In this video, pediatrician Danilo Buonsenso, MD, PhD explains why human bocavirus is an increasingly important cause of bronchiolitis in children.

He discusses how early detection through syndromic testing can guide treatment and potentially reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.

Bocavirus is difficult to diagnose without an appropriate test

Bocavirus can be clinically indistinguishable from common infections like RSV and rhinovirus (3,4). Differential diagnosis is challenging without a molecular test.

But syndromic tests that lack a bocavirus target will miss this important pathogen.

Modern syndromic tests, like QIAstat-Dx Respiratory Panels, include a target for bocavirus.

mother taking care over a sick child, motherhood, sneeze, infection, disease, Cough, RSV, COVID-19

Distribution of bocavirus infections by age, 2022–2023, adapted from (2).

Bocavirus can cause serious illness in young children

Increasing awareness: Bocavirus was first identified in 2005. Since then, numerous studies have confirmed that it’s a significant cause of respiratory illness (1,2).
Mainly impacts young children: Bocavirus prevalence and hospitalization are highest in children under 2 years old (2).
Symptoms range from mild to severe: While most bocavirus infections are mild, there are reports of severe or even fatal HBoV1 infections in children (3–5).
Linked to plastic bronchitis:Cases of bocavirus-linked plastic bronchitis have been reported in young, previously healthy children (3,4).

Look beyond the usual respiratory suspects

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References

1. Caporizzi A, Ravidà F, Barneschi S, et al. Analysis of a Cohort of 165 Pediatric Patients with Human Bocavirus Infection and Comparison between Mono-Infection and Respiratory Co-Infections: A Retrospective Study. Pathogens. 2024;13(1):55. Published 2024 Jan 6. doi:10.3390/pathogens13010055

2. Guido M, Tumolo MR, Verri T, et al. Human bocavirus: Current knowledge and future challenges. World J Gastroenterol. 2016;22(39):8684-8697. doi:10.3748/wjg.v22.i39.8684

3. Shima, S., et al. (2024, May). EP529 / #580: Clinical features of plastic bronchitis associated with human bocavirus and influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus in children. Poster session presented at the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark.

4. Huang F, Gu W, Diwu J, et al. Etiology and clinical features of infection-associated plastic bronchitis in children. BMC Infect Dis. 2023;23(1):588. Published 2023 Sep 7. doi:10.1186/s12879-023-08529-w

5. Ziemele I, Xu M, Vilmane A, et al. Acute human bocavirus 1 infection in child with life-threatening bilateral bronchiolitis and right-sided pneumonia: a case report. J Med Case Rep. 2019;13(1):290. doi:10.1186/s13256-019-2222-5.

In some cases, data cited pertains to the use of a device from another manufacturer.

For up-to-date licensing information and product-specific disclaimers, see the respective QIAGEN kit instructions for use or user manual. QIAGEN instructions for use and user manuals are available at www.qiagen.com or can be requested from QIAGEN Technical Services (or your local distributor).