Human Metapneumovirus Infection in the Canadian Population

Abstract

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a newly discovered paramyxovirus, has been associated with acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs) ranging from upper ARIs to severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Important questions remain on the contribution of hMPV to ARIs and its impact on public health. During the 2001-2002 season, we conducted a collaborative study with four provincial public health laboratories to study the prevalence of this new virus in the Canadian population. A total of 445 specimens were collected from patients of all age groups with ARIs and were tested for the presence of hMPV by reverse transcription-PCR. Of these, 66 (14.8%) tested positive for hMPV. Positive specimens were found in all age groups and in all four provinces studied. Virus activity peaked in February and March. The age range of the patients with hMPV infection was 2 months to 93 years (median age, 25 years), with similar numbers of females (35%) and males (41%). Thirty-three percent (n ‫؍‬ 22) of hMPV-infected patients were hospitalized; of these, 27% (n ‫؍‬ 6) had rhinitis and pneumonia, 23% (n ‫؍‬ 5) had bronchiolitis, and 9% (n ‫؍‬ 2) had bronchitis. The hospitalization rates were significantly higher among patients <5 years of age (P ‫؍‬ 0.0005) and those >50 years of age (P ‫؍‬ 0.0044) than among those 6 to 50 years of age. Phylogenetic analysis of the F gene showed that two hMPV genetic clusters were cocirculating in the 2001-2002 season, and comparison with earlier studies suggests a temporal evolutionary pattern of hMPV isolates. These results provide further evidence of the importance of hMPV in ARIs, particularly in young children and elderly individuals.

Human Metapneumovirus Circulation in the United States, 2008 to 2014

“…[22][23][24] Therefore, clinicians can use surveillance data, such as NREVSS, to help identify HMPV seasonality and help prioritize HMPV testing in patients with respiratory symptoms. As laboratory recruitment into NREVSS and PCR use continue to increase throughout the United States, future NREVSS data should be able to more reliably allow for more detailed analyses, including regional HMPV trends and outbreak occurrence, similar to those for RSV and influenza.…”

The Role of Human Metapneumovirus in Pediatric Respiratory Tract Infection in Qatar

“…Since its initial description, hMPV has been identified as a leading cause of LRTIs in previously healthy infant and child outpatients [11]. The incidence of hMPV-associated LRTI in young children varies with geographical location and time of year, and can range from 5 to 15% [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. However, higher rates have also been reported [19,20].…”

Life-Threatening Human Metapneumovirus Pneumonia Requiring Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in a Preterm Infant

“…The primers used for amplification and sequencing were based on the hMPV F gene sequence, ie, MPVF1f (5Ј-CTTTGGACTTAATGA-CAGATG-3Ј) and MPVF1r (5Ј-GAGAAGAGCTGGGTAGAAG-3Ј), which were used to amplify a 450-base pair fragment of the F gene. 2 Appropriate positive and negative control assays were performed, and the amplified PCR product was confirmed with sequence analysis. Phylogenetic analysis of the F gene sequence from the infant's isolate revealed that the causative virus was similar to previous Canadian isolates of hMPV (Fig 2).…”