Loading...
A member of the parvovirus family, human bocavirus (HBoV) was first discovered in 2005 in the respiratory secretions of individuals with respiratory infections or asthma. The next year, Kesebir and colleagues reported that among 20 HBoV-infected children for whom clinical data were available, 10 had wheezing (JW Infect Dis Oct 11 2006). Other researchers have also remarked on the association of this virus with asthma symptoms. Now, investigators in Paris have prospectively examined the role of bocavirus in children with asthma exacerbations.
Nasopharyngeal swab specimens were obtained from 166 patients, aged 2 to 15 years, who were hospitalized between October 2005 and November 2007 after failure of emergency department treatment for acute a…