Researchers detect Bocavirus causing respiratory infections in pediatric patients – El Eco

A study conducted by researchers at the National University of Córdoba (UNC) has discovered the source of an infectious agent called Bocavirus 1, which causes respiratory disease in boys and girls under 5 years of age, especially in infants , and may lead to pneumonia in the long term, it will be published on the academic institution’s UNCiencia website.

The study was carried out by a team chaired by the José Vanera Institute of Virology and the Pediatric Clinic of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the Institute of Higher Education, who studied samples collected from the intensive care unit of the Children’s Hospital of Santisima. Nida, part of the province, is located in the city of Córdoba.

The report details that the “bocavirus type 1” bacterium was first discovered in 2005, and despite being discovered nearly 20 years ago, many aspects remain in question.

The study, using molecular testing technology (PCR), found that the condition was more common in pediatric patients with acute respiratory infections.

It also warned that Bocavirus 1 can cause serious respiratory infections, citing the example of patients under 2 years old admitted to the intensive care unit of the Santísima Trinidad Children’s Hospital, where Bocavirus 1 was found in 28% of cases.

Researcher Laura Beatriz Moreno, clinical chair of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, insists that this pathology “is important because it can cause severe symptoms of viral pneumonia.”

Bocavirus 1 belongs to the parvovirus family and can infect animals, hence its names: bo (cow) and ca (canine).

“This is not a newly emerged virus,” said Maria Pilar Adamo, a researcher at the University of North Carolina’s José Vanera Institute of Virology. “It’s new because we only discovered it recently, but it’s already here.” ”

The purpose of this case is to further the study of the effects of respiratory infections and their symptoms in boys and girls.

In Argentina, both pneumonia and bronchiolitis are two mandatory reportable events. Health workers (public and private) must declare cases to the national ministry of health to develop surveillance strategies, they added in the report.

The study’s sample included 141 patients younger than 2 years old who were admitted to a children’s hospital intensive care unit with a respiratory infection. The analysis period is from April 2021 to the same month in 2022, and the average age of the affected population is 5 months.

As a result, at least one virus was detected in 80% of cases. Respiratory syncytial virus was found in 71.6% and bocavirus type 1 was found in 28%. Five patients were infected with baculovirus type 1 only.

The team confirmed that the virus behaves very similarly to syncytial viruses. It affects the respiratory system and usually does not cause gastrointestinal symptoms. It is also suspected that it may worsen asthma or wheezing.

Finally, the report broadly concludes that more research is needed to better understand how respiratory viruses behave.

Falling temperatures and people spending long periods in closed environments can lead to an increase in cases. In winter, the demand for intensive treatment for children under 5 years old increases by approximately 40%.

“We are conducting studies using donor sera to determine whether antibodies present in the blood can help detect viral antigens in respiratory samples,” Adamo said. (Teram)

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