title: Clinical characteristics and viral load of respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus in children hospitaled for acute lower respiratory tract infection.
abstract: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) are two common viral pathogens in acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTI). However, the association of viral load with clinical characteristics is not well-defined in ALRTI. To explore the correlation between viral load and clinical characteristics of RSV and HMPV in children hospitalized for ALRTI in Lanzhou, China. Three hundred and eighty-seven children hospitalized for ALRTI were enrolled. Nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) were sampled from each children. Real-time PCR was used to screen RSV, HMPV, and twelve additional respiratory viruses. Bronchiolitis was the leading diagnoses both in RSV and HMPV positive patients. A significantly greater frequency of wheezing (52% vs. 33.52%, P = 0.000) was noted in RSV positive and negative patients. The RSV viral load was significant higher in children aged <1 year (P = 0.003), children without fever and wheezing (P = 0.015 and P = 0.000), days of illness <14 days (P = 0.002), children with bronchiolitis (P = 0.012) and children with RSV single infections (P = 0.000). No difference was found in the clinical features of HMPV positive and negative patients. The HMPV viral load had no correlation with any clinical characteristics. The incidences of severe disease were similar between single infection and coinfection for the two viruses (RSV, P = 0.221; HMPV, P = 0.764) and there has no statistical significance between severity and viral load (P = 0.166 and P = 0.721). Bronchiolitis is the most common disease caused by RSV and HMPV. High viral load or co-infection may be associated with some symptoms but neither has a significant impact on disease severity for the two viruses. J. Med. Virol. 89:589-597, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.|Key Laboratory for Medical Virology, Ministry of Health, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China Center for Disease Control, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Ning
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiration, Beijing Electric Power Hospital of The North China Grid Company Limited, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Medical Virology, Ministry of Health, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China Center for Disease Control, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Ping
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Medical Virology, Ministry of Health, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China Center for Disease Control, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Han-Chun
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
authors.forename: Xue-Mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
authors.forename: Li-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Medical Virology, Ministry of Health, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China Center for Disease Control, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhao-Jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Duan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D029121:Metapneumovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000821:virology; D018184:Paramyxoviridae Infections / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D018113:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D019562:Viral Load
keywords:  respiratory syncytial virus; epidemiology; human metapneumovirus