title: Severe human metapneumovirus infection in hospitalized children.
abstract: Human metapneumovirus is a recently discovered pathogen that causes upper and lower respiratory tract disease in children. This study describes the course of illness in hospitalized children with this infection. During a 6-month period, 11 children were diagnosed with human metapneumovirus infection by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Oxygen supplementation was required for 82% of patients. Severe disease developed in 45%, and mechanical ventilation was required. An apparent life-threatening event was the indication for hospitalization of 27% of patients infected with human metapneumovirus. Children with underlying asthma or neuromuscular disease had a prolonged hospitalization.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama 36604, SUA. bestrada@ usouthal.edu
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Estrada
authors.forename: Macharia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: Sailen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barik
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Herbert
authors.forename: Keith M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Ramsey
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D029121:Metapneumovirus; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D018184:Paramyxoviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction