Objective: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of Human bocavirus in nasopharyngeal swab samples taken due to respiratory tract infection and the demographic and clinical characteristics of pediatric patients with Human bocavirus.

Methods: Pediatric patients aged between 0-18 years, having Human Bocavirus in their nasopharyngeal aspirate samples within April 2021 and May 2022, were included in the study. Respiratory tract samples were assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction test at Çukurova University Clinical Microbiology Virology Laboratory.

Results: The causative agent was detected as Human Bocavirus in 22 of 203 (10.8%) of the nasopharyngeal swab samples taken during the study period. The median age of these 22 patients was 34.5 months (1-197). The most common complaints were fever and cough. Patients were most frequently diagnosed in winter. Human Bocavirus was detected alone in five patients (22.7%), while more than one virus were detected in seventeen patients (77.2%). It was determined that four (18.1%) patients were diagnosed with upper respiratory tract infections while 15 (68.1%) were with lower respiratory tract infections. Sixteen patients (72.7%) had an underlying disease; eight of them (50%) had severe pneumonia. Severe pneumonia was not detected in patients without underlying disease (p=0.04). It was determined that 83.3% of those with an underlying disease and 16.7% of those without an underlying disease were hospitalized (p=0.04).

Conclusion: Human Bocavirus is an important agent in respiratory tract infections in children and can cause long-term hospitalization and even death, especially in patients with underlying diseases.