Human metapneumovirus: review of an important respiratory pathogen

Abstract

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV), discovered in 2001, most commonly causes upper and lower respiratory tract infections in young children, but is also a concern for elderly subjects and immune-compromised patients. hMPV is the major etiological agent responsible for about 5% to 10% of hospitalizations of children suffering from acute respiratory tract infections. hMPV infection can cause severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children, and its symptoms are indistinguishable from those caused by human respiratory syncytial virus. Initial infection with hMPV usually occurs during early childhood, but re-infections are common throughout life. Due to the slow growth of the virus in cell culture, molecular methods (such as reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR)) are the preferred diagnostic modality for detecting hMPV. A few vaccine candidates have been shown to be effective in preventing clinical disease, but none are yet commercially available. Our understanding of hMPV has undergone major changes in recent years and in this article we will review the currently available information on the molecular biology and epidemiology of hMPV. We will also review the current therapeutic interventions and strategies being used to control hMPV infection, with an emphasis on possible approaches that could be used to develop an effective vaccine against hMPV.

Viral Respiratory Infections in Patients with Cancer

“…HMPV, like other members of paramixoviridea, contains a single stranded negativesense RNA molecule. The gene order of virus (from 3' to 5') is N(nucleoprotein)-P(phosphoprotein)-M (matrix protein)-F (fusion protein)-M2(cods for M2-1 and M2-2)-SH(small hydrophobic protein)-G(attachment protein)-L(viral polymerase) (76)(77)(78).…”

The Pneumovirinae fusion (F) protein: A common target for vaccines and antivirals

“…Although less is known about hMPV, it is also considered a pathogen of clinical significance, only second to hRSV as a cause of ALRI (Schuster and Williams, 2013). Both, hRSV and hMPV are also important cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly and in adults with cardiopulmonary disease or with an impaired immune system (Dowell et al, 1996;Falsey et al, 2005;Hall et al, 1986;Panda et al, 2014).…”

Human metapneumovirus pneumonia: Case report

“…Tüm genom analizlerinde hMPV'nin A ve B şeklinde iki genotipe sahip olduğu gösterilmiştir. Paramyxoviridae ailesindeki tüm virusler gibi hMPV de zarflı, pleomorfik şekilli, 150-300 nm boyutunda, helikal nükleokapside sahip, negatif kutuplu, tek zincirli, genomu segmentsiz RNA virusudur (4,5) . Akut respiratuvar enfeksiyonu olan hastaların %4-16'sında hMPV saptanmıştır (3) .…”

“…Olgumuzda, takipne ve ral gibi bulgular olmasına rağmen hışıltı, bronşiolit veya astım bulguları yoktu. hMPV'ye bağlı alt solunum yolu enfeksiyonlarının uzun süreli oksijen gereksinimi ve hatta yoğun bakım destek gereksinimi ile kendini gösterebildiği bildirilmiştir (5) . Olgumuzda, 7 gün gibi bir süre oksijen gereksinimi olsa da, yakın monitörizasyon ile mekanik ventilasyon veya yoğun bakım gereksinimi geliş-mediği görüldü.…”