Epidemiology and genetic variability of human metapneumovirus during a 4-year-long study in Southeastern Brazil.
Epidemiological and molecular characteristics of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) were compared with human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) in infants and young children admitted for acute lower respiratory tract infections in a prospective study during four consecutive years in subtropical Brazil. GeneScan polymerase chain assays (GeneScan RT-PCR) were used to detect hMPV and hRSV in nasopharyngeal aspirates of 1,670 children during January 2003 to December 2006. hMPV and hRSV were detected, respectively, in 191 (11.4%) and in 702 (42%) of the children admitted with acute lower respiratory tract infections at the Sao Paulo University Hospital. Sequencing data of the hMPV F gene revealed that two groups of the virus, each divided into two subgroups, co-circulated during three consecutive years. It was also shown that a clear dominance of genotype B1 occurred during the years 2004 and 2005, followed by genotype A2 during 2006.
Oliveira
Danielle B L
DB
Department of Microbiology, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Durigon
Edison L
EL
Carvalho
Ariane C L
AC
Leal
Andréa L
AL
Souza
Thereza S
TS
Thomazelli
Luciano M
LM
Moraes
Claudia T P
CT
Vieira
Sandra E
SE
Gilio
Alfredo E
AE
Stewien
Klaus E
KE