Variant isolates of human metapneumovirus subgroup B genotype 1 in Campinas, Brazil.
BACKGROUND
Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a paramyxovirus associated with respiratory illness. The genotypes of HMPV isolates in Brazil have not been well characterized.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the presence of HMPV in clinical samples collected from pediatric patients of two university hospitals in the region of Campinas (São Paulo, Brazil) and to genotype them by partial sequencing of the HMPV F gene.


METHODS
Nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from children hospitalized between April and September, 2004 because of acute respiratory infections (ARI).


RESULTS
We identified HMPV in 8 of 142 (5.6%) clinical samples. We determined through phylogenetic analysis that HMPV isolates in Campinas during the study were clustered within subgroup B genotype 1. Two of the isolates analyzed showed significant differences from previously isolated B1 viruses, when compared to HMPV isolated in South Africa and Canada, and clustered in a separate branch within this genotype.


CONCLUSIONS
In 2004 in our geographic region all HMPV isolates from pediatric patients were in the B1 HMPV genetic group, with two variant isolates.
da Silva
Luciana Helena Antoniassi
LH
Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Programa Pós Graduação - Clínica Médica - UNICAMP, Campinas, Brazil.
Spilki
Fernando Rosado
FR
Riccetto
Adriana Gut Lopes
AG
de Almeida
Renata Servan
RS
Baracat
Emílio Carlos Elias
EC
Arns
Clarice Weis
CW
D001483:Base Sequence; D001938:Brazil; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D029121:Metapneumovirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000821:virology; D018184:Paramyxoviridae Infections / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D012367:RNA, Viral