A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal
Twenty years of human bocavirus research: from an unculturable virus of unclear pathogenicity to a culturable human pathogen and gene therapy vector candidate
Authors: Schildgen, Oliver; Qiu, Jianming; Mietzsch, Mario; Allander, Tobias; Jartti, Tuomas; Schildgen, Verena; Grimm, Dirk; Söderlund-Venermo, Maria
Editors: Forrest Graeme N.
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Publication year: 2025
Journal:Clinical Microbiology Reviews
Article number: e00173-24
ISSN: 0893-8512
eISSN: 1098-6618
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/cmr.00173-24
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1128/cmr.00173-24
Twenty years after the first description of human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) as a respiratory pathogen, significant progress has been made in both clinical and basic research; however, important clinical, diagnostic, and molecular challenges remain before bocavirus pathobiology is fully understood. The discovery of HBoV1 and its notorious prolonged shedding have challenged the new sensitive multiplex PCR panel-based diagnostic testing that replaced the old antigen assays, leading to erroneous classification of HBoV1 as an innocent bystander. Both sophisticated diagnostics and cytopathic effects in cell culture have now confirmed HBoV1 to be a common cause of upper and lower respiratory tract infections, mainly in children. While many questions have been answered, new questions have emerged as our understanding of parvoviruses has significantly expanded over the past two decades. In this review, key findings from 20 years of clinical, basic, and applied research on human bocaviruses are summarized and open questions highlighted to guide future investigations.
Funding information in the publication:
O.S. thanks the Beatrix-Lichtken-Stiftung (Cologne, Germany) and the Lörcher-Stiftung (Cologne/Frechen, Germany) for continuous funding of HBoV research projects. J.Q. was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) grants AI150877 and AI182645 and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) grant HL174593. M.M. was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) grant GM082946. M.S.-V. was supported by the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation and the Life and Health Medical Association.
