Human Bocavirus Infection Among Children with Respiratory Tract Infection in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Human Bocavirus (HBoV) which is a single stranded DNA virus of the family Parvoviridae, is responsible for 21.5% of childhood respiratory tract infections (RTI) annually. Among the four genotypes currently known, HBoV1 has been associated with acute respiratory tract infection. Although, there have been studies on HBoV in some countries, there is limited information on this virus in sub-Saharan Africa where there is the highest burden of RTI. This study aimed to characterize the circulating strains of HBoV in Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods: Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab samples were collected from 333 children ≤5 years old presenting with RTI attending hospitals in Ibadan, whose parents assented from 2014 – 2015. HBoV isolates were sequenced after a nested PCR and phylogenetic analysis was carried out using Mega 6 software. The HBoV isolates of this study has been assigned the Genbank accession numbers KY701984 – KY702006. Results: A total of 27 children tested positive for HBoV by PCR and 23 of the 27 isolates were successfully sequenced. The 23 HBoV isolates from this study were type as HBoV-1 genotype by phylogenetic analysis. Phylogram analysis indicated that the isolates belong to the same clades. Six Isolates aligned closely to the reference strains ST1 and ST2, while 17 isolates showed a high divergence to the reference isolates. Conclusion: This study shows the contribution on HBoV in respiratory tract infections in Nigeria and that HBoV1 strain is the strain associated with the infection.

Nigerian Foreign Policy under President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2019: An Evaluative Analysis

“…Using information from the social sciences and humanities, this approach emphasizes the thoughtful appraisal and critique of nations and their cultures. Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, Walter Benjamin, and Erich Fromm are among the proponents of this philosophy (Joseph, 1960).…”