Seroepidemiology of human bocavirus in Apulia, Italy

A serological survey was performed to determine the prevalence of antibodies against human bocavirus in an Apulian population. Anti-hBoV IgG antibodies were analysed in 1206 inhabitants (age range, 1month-84years) using a standardized ELISA test based on the use of recombinant hBoV VP2 virus-like particles. In total, 1075 (89.1%) of 1206 participants (mean age 32±24.8years) displayed anti-hBoV-IgG. The seroprevalence increased significantly (p<0.0001) in children from 2-4years (64.2%) to 5-9years (96.4%). A similar trend was observed in both male and female subjects. In conclusion, our results show that hBoV infection is common in this population, especially in children. © 2011 University of Salento. Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2011 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.