Infections with the novel human bocavirus

Human bocavirus is a newly described pathogen associated with acute respiratory infections and perhaps diarrhoeal disease. The majority of infections are reported in young children and often in the presence of other respiratory pathogens. Case series have increasingly been reported worldwide, suggesting that the virus may have a high frequency in children and that other clinical presentations beyond the respiratory tract may have to be considered. This review summarizes the worldwide distribution, epidemiological characteristics and clinical presentations of human bocavirus and discusses the evidence of it's pathogenic role during infection. (c) 2007 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.