Prolonged detection of human bocavirus DNA in nasopharyngeal aspirates of children with respiratory tract disease

Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that the recently identified human bocavirus (hBoV) is a cause of acute respiratory illness. However, the duration of hBoV shedding from the respiratory tract as demonstrated by positive hBoV polymerase chain reaction is unclear. We describe the virologic and clinical characteristics of 6 immunocompetent children with hBoV persistence in the respiratory tract for up to 4.5 months.