Search bioRxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/830281

HUMAN BOCAVIRUS PREVALENCE IN CHILDREN WITH ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS FROM RURAL COMMUNITIES IN THE NORTHEN REGION OF SOUTH AFRICA

Rikhotso, M.·Khumela, R.·Kabue, J. P.·Traore, A. N.·Potgieter, N.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

BACKGROUNDAcute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in young children worldwide. Human Bocavirus (HBoV) is an emerging virus globally associated with diarrhea. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the prevalence of HBoV genotypes in children ([≤]5 years) from rural communities in South Africa (SA) suffering from AGE.\n\nMATERIAL AND METHODA total of 141 fecal samples of children [≤]5 years with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) were collected from rural Primary Health Care facilities in the Vhembe district of SA between June 2017 and July 2018. Clinical symptoms and demographic data were also recorded. A total of 102 (72%) were outpatients and 39 (28%) were hospitalized patients. Human Bocavirus (HBoV) genotypes were determined using Real-Time Multiplex PCR. DNA extracts of positive samples were confirmed by conventional PCR targeting the NS1 gene. Co-infection with other enteric viruses were determined in HBoV positive samples using Real-Time PCR.\n\nRESULTSHBoV was detected in 8 (5.7%) children with AGE. Children were in the age group between 1-24 months. HBoV1 and HBoV3 genotypes were each detected in 3 (37.5%) stool samples and HBoV2 in 2 (25%) stool samples. Co-infection with other enteric viruses included Rotavirus (37.5%); Adenovirus (37.5%); Norovirus (25%) and Astrovirus (12.5%).\n\nCONCLUSIONHBoV infections could be seen as a potential emerging diarrheal pathogen in South Africa. Further studies are required to understand the role of HBoV infections in children and adults with acute gastroenteritis.\n\nAuthor summaryAcute gastroenteritis (AGE) is recognized as a major cause for mortality in children [≤]5 years of age in Africa and other developing countries. Viruses known to be involved in AGE includes Rotavirus, Norovirus, Astrovirus and Adenovirus and have been reported globally. Recently the Human Bocavirus (HBoV) have been reported in numerous studies globally as a potential cause of diarrhea. In this study, the prevalence and genetic diversity of human Bocavirus in children with AGE from rural communities in Limpopo, South Africa were investigated. In total, 141 stool samples from children [≤] 5 years with AGE were assessed for the presence of HBoV using Real-Time PCR. HBoV were detected in 8 (5.7%) patients and included 3 positive samples for HBoV1 and HBoV3 respectively and 2 positive for HBoV2. No HBoV4 were detected. Among the 8 positive HBoV samples, co-infection with other enteric viruses were found in 7 (87.5%) samples, while mono infection with HBoV alone was detected in 1 (12.5%) patient. HBoV mixed infection with Rotavirus (3/8; 37.5%); Adenovirus (3/8; 37.5%); Norovirus (2/8; 25%) and Astrovirus (1/8; 12.5%) were observed in this study. This study reported for the first time on the prevalence of human Bocavirus in children with AGE from rural communities in South Africa.

Explore related subjects

microbiologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Rikhotso, M., Khumela, R., Kabue, J. P., Traore, A. N., Potgieter, N.. 2019-11-04. HUMAN BOCAVIRUS PREVALENCE IN CHILDREN WITH ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS FROM RURAL COMMUNITIES IN THE NORTHEN REGION OF SOUTH AFRICA. https://doi.org/10.1101/830281

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Microbially conjugated bile acids differentially affect the lifecycle and pathogenesis of Clostridioides difficile

Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive bacterium that causes C. difficile infection (CDI). In healthy adults, it has been proposed that the gut microbiota provides colonization resistance against C. difficile by competition through nutrient limitation and antagonism through secondary bile acid metabolism, the latter of which is mediated by the deconjugation of host-derived bile acids with bacterial bile salt hydrolases (BSH). Recently, BSHs have also shown an ability to reconjugate non-canonical (i.e., not glycine or taurine) amino acids to sterol cores, resulting in novel microbially conjugated bile acids (MCBAs). MCBAs have been associated with the resolution of recurrent CDI, though the mechanism underlying these effects are not well understood. To address this gap, we synthesized 36 MCBAs with nine amino acids (cysteine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and valine) conjugated to the primary and secondary bile acids found in the human gut (CA, DCA, CDCA, and LCA) and tested their impact on various stages of C. difficiles lifecycle including bacterial outgrowth, membrane integrity, sporulation, and toxin activity. We show that BSH-mediated amidation of bile acid sterol cores can either increase or decrease inhibitory effects on C. difficile in an amino acid-dependent manner. For example, serine MCBAs enhanced C. difficiles ability to grow in otherwise inhibitory bile acid concentrations, increased spore production, and elevated toxin activity. Tryptophan MCBAs increased inhibition. By demonstrating these variable effects, our work clarifies the molecular determinants of MCBA activity and highlights specific MCBAs as promising targets for the development of C. difficile microbial-based therapeutics.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Magnetic organelle gene clusters enable bacterial growth and ATP homeostasis under oxidizing conditions

Biological organisms can produce magnetic nanoparticles made of magnetite to detect the Earth's magnetic field for orientation. The evolutionary mechanisms that led to the acquisition of this capacity remain unknown. The most ancient organisms known to perform magnetic orientation are magnetotactic bacteria. Under tight genetic control, they produce chains of magnetite nanoparticles in dedicated organelles to allow efficient navigation in aquatic environments containing molecular oxygen. Yet, these bacteria have been proposed to emerge before molecular oxygen became abundant on Earth, at a time when this navigation system could not have served its current function. Here, we show that gene clusters responsible of magnetite formation and organization enable resistance against hydrogen peroxide, a toxic oxygen-derived compound that was produced during the early stages of Earth's oxygenation when iron oxidation consumed molecular oxygen. Characterization of the nanoparticle's oxidation state supported the involvement of magnetite in resistance to hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress. These findings are compatible with an early emergence of magnetotactic bacteria, before natural waters became oxygenated. We propose a conceptual framework to explain the origin of magnetic orientation in bacteria, and offer tools to identify the initiation of Earth's oxygenation in a time-resolved manner.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Identification and characterization of new P. aeruginosa phages using a surface receptor platform

Bacteriophages are of increasing interest for their potential use as alternatives to antibiotics for treating drug-resistant infections. Phage steering, specifically receptor-based steering, involves use of phages that bias the development of resistance in bacteria towards phenotypes such as reduced fitness. Phage therapy typically involves administering cocktails of phages with different targets to reduce the likelihood of resistance emerging. To ensure effective steering and cocktail design, there is a need to identify the receptors used by phages of interest, and to isolate phages that use diverse receptors. Here we describe a SURFAce Receptor (SURFAR) platform consisting of a set of defined Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains and mutants for rapid characterization of phage receptors. This platform can also be used to enrich for and isolate diverse phages from environmental samples, yielding novel phage genomes from wastewater. Using the SURFAR platform, two new phages were isolated and characterized: Dalewood, which targets both flagella and the conserved LPS outer core, and Bowman, a biofilm targeting phage capable of supressing growth of a subset of carbapenem-resistant clinical isolates. This tool helps to standardize the laborious but important task of phage receptor characterization, with the goal of expanding the known repertoire of P. aeruginosa phage receptors and phages.

microbiology↗