Journal of Medical Virology 88:166–170 (2016) Human Bocavirus in Acute Gastroenteritis in Children in Brazil Gubio Soares Campos, Madina Lyve Silva Sampaio, Aline Dorea Luz Menezes, Dellane Martins Tigre, Lilia Ferreira Moura Costa, Fabio Alexandre Chinalia, and Silvia Ines Sardi* Laboratory of Virology-Health Science Institute, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil Epidemiological surveillance for Human Boca- virus (HBoV) was conducted on 105 fecal speci- mens from children with acute gastroenteritis in Bahia, Brazil. Among of a total 105 stool samples, 44 samples were positive for HBoV as detected by nested-PCR. Of the 44 positive samples, co-infections with other enteric vi- ruses (Norovirus, Adenovirus, and Rotavirus) were found in 12 pediatric patients. Mixed infections among HBoV with Norovirus were frequently observed in this population. The phylogenetic analysis identified the presence of HBoV-1, and HBoV 2A species. This study shows that HBoV is another viral pathogen in the etiology of acute gastroenteritis in children in Bahia, Brazil. J. Med. Virol. 88:166–170, 2016. # 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. KEY WORDS: bocavirus; children; gastroen- teritis; Brazil INTRODUCTION Infectious gastroenteritis, a pathological condition frequently observed in both developed and under- developed countries, is considered to be a major cause of mortality and morbidity in children, especially during the first few years of life. The etiological agents of this disease can be parasitic, bacterial, or viral. Among the viral agents, the primary agents are Norovirus (NoV), Rotavirus (RV), Adenovirus (AdV), or Human astrovirus (HAstV) [Rimoldi et al., 2011]. Additionally, the Human Bocavirus (HBoV) has been recently discovered to cause gastroenteritis [Allander et al., 2005]. HBoV, a human parvovirus recently discovered to be an etiologic agent of gastroenteritis belongs to the Parvoviridae family, and it is classified into the subfamily Parvovirinae, and genus Bocavirus. Owing to its close relation to the Bovine parvovirus (BPV) and the Canine minute virus (CnMV), the new virus was named as Human Bocavirus [Kapoor et al., 2009]. The HBoV family is composed of four distinct species: HBoV-1 [Cashman and O’Shea, 2012]; HBoV- 2 [Albuquerque et al., 2007], HBoV-3 [Allander et al., 2005], and HBoV-4 [Kapoor et al., 2009]. HBoV-2 is further classified into two variants: 2A and 2B [Arthur et al., 2009]. The viral genome consists of a linear single-stranded DNA, it is a non-enveloped virus, with an icosahedral capsid consisting of ap- proximately 60 capsomeres. HBoV has three open reading frames (ORFs) encoding four proteins: VP1 and VP2, which are the structural proteins (capsid) of the virion; NS1, a non-structural protein; and the nucleoprotein NP1, with unknown function [Cashmann and O’Shea, 2012]. HBoV, was initially identified in Sweden by Al- lander et al., 2007, from the respiratory secretions in patients with pneumonia. Subsequent reports have highlighted the presence of HBoV in stool samples collected from patients with gastroenteritis, which suggested a tropism for the digestive tract. The role of HBoV in pneumonia and gastroenteritis remains to be elucidated. However, it has been increasingly detected in patients with gastroenteritis, particularly in children aged between 6 and 24 months [Cash- mann and O’Shea, 2012]. HBoV has also been found to co-infect humans with other enteric viruses, at very high frequencies. The signs and symptoms of HBoV-induced acute gastroenteritis are similar to those observed in patients infected with another animal parvovirus, the Canine parvovirus. These symptoms include the presence of leukopenia and frequent diarrhea [Chieochansin et al., 2010]. Grant sponsor: Fundac ¸ ~ ao de Apoio a Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia  Correspondence to: Silvia Ines Sardi, Instituto de Ci^ encias da Sa ude, Laborat orio de Virologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Av. Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n 40110-100-Vale do Canela, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. E-mail: sissardi@yahoo.com.br Accepted 1 June 2015 DOI 10.1002/jmv.24293 Published online 25 June 2015 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).  C 2015 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.