Epidemiological and clinical features of human metapneumovirus in hospitalised paediatric patients with acute respiratory illness: a cross-sectional study in Southern China, from 2013 to 2016

Abstract

ObjectivesHuman metapneumovirus (HMPV) is one of the most important respiratory viral pathogens affecting infants and children worldwide. Our study describes the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of HMPV present in patients hospitalised with acute respiratory illness (ARI) in Guangzhou, Southern China.Study designA cross-sectional study.SettingTwo tertiary hospitals in Guangzhou.Participants and methodsThroat swabs were collected over a 3-year period from 5133 paediatric patients (≤14 years) hospitalised with ARI. Patients who are HMPV positive with clinical presentations (101/103) were recorded for further analysis.ResultsOf the 5133 patients included in the study, 103 (2.0%) were positive for HMPV. HMPV was more prevalent in children ≤5 years (2.2%, 98/4399) compared with older children (>5–14 years) (0.7%, 5/734) (P=0.004). Two seasonal HMPV peaks were observed each year and mainly occurred in spring and early summer. Overall, 18.4% (19/103) of patients who are HMPV positive were codetected with other pathogens, most frequently respiratory syncytial virus (36.8%, 7/19). Patients who are HMPV positive presented with a wide spectrum of clinical features, including cough (100.0%, 101/101), abnormal pulmonary breath sound (91.1%, 92/101), fever (88.1%, 89/101), expectoration (77.2%, 78/101), coryza (50.5%, 51/101) and wheezing (46.5%, 47/101). The main diagnosis of patients who are HMPV positive was bronchopneumonia (66.7%, 56/84). Fever (≥38˚C) (91.6%, 76/83) was detected more often in patients with only HMPV detected than in patients with HMPV plus other pathogen(s) detected (72.2%, 13/18) (P=0.037), whereas diarrhoea was more common in patients with HMPV plus other pathogen(s) detected (22.2%, 4/18), compared with patients with HMPV only (3.6%, 3/83) (P=0.018).ConclusionsHMPV is an important respiratory pathogen in children with ARI in Guangzhou, particularly in children ≤5 years old. HMPV has a seasonal variation. Bronchopneumonia is a major diagnosis in patients who are HMPV positive.

Paramyxoviruses respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, and human metapneumovirus infection in pediatric hospitalized patients and climate correlation in a subtropical region of southern China: a 7-year survey

“…RSV, PIV, and HMPV are the most important respiratory viruses, causing lower respiratory illnesses among children worldwide [4][5][6]33]. In this study, RSV, PIV, and HMPV were the first (14.8%), sixth (4.4%), and ninth (2.8%) most frequently detected pathogens (Table 1, Fig.…”

“…Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) are enveloped, nonsegmented, negative-sense, singlestranded RNA viruses belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family. These viruses are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality globally, especially among children in developing countries [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. RSV is the most important pathogenic infection of childhood worldwide, causing a variety of manifestations from mild upper respiratory tract illnesses or otitis media to severe and potentially lifethreatening lower respiratory tract illnesses [6,[8][9][10][11].…”

Epidemiological surveillance of common respiratory viruses in patients with suspected COVID-19 in Southwest China

“…It is worth noting that most studies have focused on the epidemiological features of HMPV in the vulnerable population. For instance, Zhang and colleagues [15] performed a cross-sectional study in Guangzhou, and reported that 103 out of 5133 pediatric patients with ARIs (2.0%) were positive for HMPV. In the present study, 38 patients were positive for influenza virus infection, of which 68.4% were InfB infection, and the remaining were InfA infection.…”

Beyond Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Rhinovirus in the Pathogenesis and Exacerbation of Asthma

“…16 Cough, rhinorrhea, wheeze, and fever are commonly reported symptoms in children infected with hMPV. [17][18][19][20][21][22] Virtually all children have evidence of exposure to hMPV by age 5 years. 15 hMPV is responsible for a significant portion (2%-12%) of respiratory tract infections 16,17,19,[23][24][25][26] and is associated with a large burden of hospitalizations and outpatient visits in younger children.…”