Severe human metapneumovirus infection in hospitalized children.
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.
Estrada
Benjamin
B
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama 36604, SUA. bestrada@ usouthal.edu
Carter
Macharia
M
Barik
Sailen
S
Vidal
Rosa
R
Herbert
Donald
D
Ramsey
Keith M
KM
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