title: Role of metapneumovirus in viral respiratory infections in young children.
abstract: The contribution of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) relative to that of other respiratory viruses as a cause of respiratory infections in children less than 1 year old has been evaluated. From October 2003 to April 2004, nasopharyngeal samples from 211 children less than 1 year old were analyzed to detect respiratory viruses. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was the predominant virus isolated (96 children [45.5%]), followed by influenza A virus, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus type 1, which were only occasionally detected. From January 2004 to April 2004, a nested retrotranscription-PCR, using in-house primers directed to the matrix protein gene of hMPV, was carried out on samples in which no other viruses were detected. hMPV was detected in 18 (16.2%) children, indicating that this virus was the second-most-frequent cause of viral respiratory infections in children less than 1 year old. The rate of hospitalization for RSV- and hMPV-infected children was higher than 75%. While RSV had a peak from December to February, hMPV was increasingly detected from January to April. The mean age of hMPV-infected children (6.44 +/- 3.64 [mean +/- standard deviation] months) was significantly higher than that of RSV-infected children (3.99 +/- 2.96 [mean +/- standard deviation] months). On the other hand, 64.3% of the RSV-infected children and 12.5% of the hMPV-infected children showed high levels of C-reactive protein. Although several authors have reported that clinical symptoms of hMPV-positive patients mirrored those of RSV-positive patients, differences between the two viruses can be found.
authors.affiliation: Sección de Virología (Servicio de Microbiología), Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Celestino Villamil s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ordás
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Boga
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Argüelles
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Villa
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Dehli
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Oña
authors.forename: Julián
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Melón
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D017931:DNA Primers; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D029121:Metapneumovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000821:virology; D018184:Paramyxoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; D002097:C-Reactive Protein