Emerging Viruses: Metapneumovirus
Overview
Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) was first described in June 2001 by researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The virus belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family, which includes measles virus, mumps virus, the parainfluenza viruses, and hMPV's closest cousin, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Two serotypes - A & B - have been identified, each including two genetic sublineages - 1 & 2.
HMPV infects people of all ages, but is common in children under five years of age. The virus causes mild to severe respiratory infections, with severe disease often requiring hospitalization, especially in children or immunocompromised patients. Symptoms are very similar to RSV infections, and the two viruses cannot be distinguished based on clinical symptoms.
HMPV infections most often occur during the winter months in moderate climate zones, and during the late spring and early summer in subtropical areas. Cases of hMPV have been reported all over the world, with 5-15% of respiratory illnesses in children attributed to the virus.
Clinical Symptoms
Symptoms of human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) include cold-like symptoms such as cough, runny nose, sore throat and fever. More severe illness manifests as lower-respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia, and some cases of vomiting, otitis media, rash and seizures have been reported in severely affected patients.
PEDIATRICS
“Nosocomial infection... is concerning. This finding suggests that the patient- isolation and cohorting criteria in many health care facilities may have to be reevaluated.”
"Human Metapneumovirus Infection in the United States: Clinical Manifestations Associated With a Newly Emerging Respiratory Infection in Children." PEDIATRICS Vol. 111 No. 6 June 2003
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
“...mixed infections do not necessarily result in more severe infection, but detection of hMPV may be a predictor of potentially more serious disease in infants.”
"Human Metapneumovirus Associated with Respiratory Tract Infections in a 3-Year Study of Nasal Swabs from Infants in Italy." Journal of Clinical Microbiology, July 2003, p. 2987-2991.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
“Human metapneumovirus has recently been recognized as a common respiratory pathogen affecting all ages, but especially the very young and the elderly.”
"Detection of Human Metapneumovirus in Clinical Samples by Immunofluorescence Staining of Shell Vial Centrifugation Culture Prepared from Three Different Cell Lines." Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 2005, p. 1950-1952.
THE JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
“...hRSV and hMPV infections appear to be indistinguishable in
young children...” “...the clinical impact of hMPV infection was greatest in frail elderly
persons...”
"Human Metapneumovirus Infections in Young and Elderly Adults." The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2003:187 (1 March), p. 785-90
*Overview and Clinical Symptoms Information Courtesy of ViroNovative BV, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. (clicking on this link will open a third-party website in a new window)
