Multi-year study of human metapneumovirus infection at a large US Midwestern Medical Referral Center.
BACKGROUND
Because of its recent identification, few multi-year epidemiologic studies of hMPV infection have been reported.


OBJECTIVE
We sought to retrospectively describe hMPV infections among patients evaluated by a large US Midwestern referral laboratory.


METHODS
Clinical specimens were submitted to a large US Midwest referral hospital from 1 October 2001 to 18 May 2004. RT-PCR was used to retrospectively screen the clinical specimens for human metapneumovirus. Demographic and clinical data were retrieved.


RESULTS
34 (2.6%) of 1294 specimens were hMPV positive. Among these, 21 (62%) were culture positive and available for genetic typing. A previously considered rare genotype of hMPV, B1, was the most common single genotype identified, comprising 9 (43%) of the 21 isolates. Multivariate logistic regression modeling identified patients aged 0.4-9 years (OR=8.9; 95% CI=2.0-38.5) and those under intensive care (OR=3.2; 95% CI=1.1-8.7) as more likely to have hMPV infection than their peers.


CONCLUSIONS
In this large referral hospital viral assays more often had evidence of hMPV when they were collected from children receiving intensive care.
Gray
Gregory C
GC
Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, 200 Hawkins Dr., C21-K GH, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. gregory-gray@uiowa.edu
Capuano
Ana W
AW
Setterquist
Sharon F
SF
Erdman
Dean D
DD
Nobbs
Newell D
ND
Abed
Yacine
Y
Doern
Gary V
GV
Starks
Sarah E
SE
Boivin
Guy
G
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D029121:Metapneumovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D018184:Paramyxoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States