This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Chano, F.
Right arrow Articles by Charest, H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Chano, F.
Right arrow Articles by Charest, H.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2005, p. 5520-5525, Vol. 43, No. 11
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.11.5520-5525.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Epidemiological Survey of Human Metapneumovirus Infection in a Large Pediatric Tertiary Care Center

Frédéric Chano,1 Céline Rousseau,2 Céline Laferrière,2 Michel Couillard,1 and Hugues Charest1*

Laboratoire de Santé Publique du Québec/Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada,1 Hôpital Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada2

Received 13 May 2005/ Returned for modification 13 July 2005/ Accepted 6 September 2005

The human metapneumovirus (hMPV) was recently identified and linked to acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI). To assess the clinical importance of this virus in infants and children, we developed a rapid and efficient reverse transcription-PCR-based screening method for a large volume of samples and tested retrospectively a collection of 1,132 respiratory specimens submitted over a full year period to the virology laboratory of a large tertiary care pediatric center in Montreal, Canada. A total of 41 samples from 37 patients were positive by this method. During the winter months of 2001, up to 8% of specimens submitted for respiratory virus testing were hMPV positive. Sequencing data of the hMPV M gene revealed that two genogroups of the virus, each of which can be divided into two subgroups, cocirculated during this time period. A case-controlled study was conducted to compare the symptoms associated with hMPV infection with those involving other etiologic agents causing ARTI. Symptoms most frequently observed in hMPV-positive patients were cough, wheezing, and dyspnea, although the symptomatology could differ substantially from patient to patient. No distinct symptom profile could be associated with hMPV. Three nosocomial cases of hMPV infection were identified. Together, our data suggest that hMPV is a significant cause of symptomatic respiratory tract infections in infants and children. The incidence of the disease and the morbidity associated with the infection justify adding hMPV to the list of common respiratory viruses routinely screened for by clinical laboratories.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratoire de Santé Publique du Québec, 20045 Chemin Ste-Marie, Sainte-Anne-de- Bellevue, Quebec, Canada H9X 3R5. Phone: (514) 457-2070. Fax: (514) 457-6346. E-mail: hugues.charest{at}inspq.qc.ca.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2005, p. 5520-5525, Vol. 43, No. 11
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.11.5520-5525.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Kim, S., Sung, H., Im, H. J., Hong, S.-J., Kim, M.-N. (2009). Molecular Epidemiological Investigation of a Nosocomial Outbreak of Human Metapneumovirus Infection in a Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Patient Population. J. Clin. Microbiol. 47: 1221-1224 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Vinh, D. C., Newby, D., Charest, H., McDonald, J. (2008). Evaluation of a Commercial Direct Fluorescent-Antibody Assay for Human Metapneumovirus in Respiratory Specimens. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 1840-1841 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Abiko, C., Mizuta, K., Itagaki, T., Katsushima, N., Ito, S., Matsuzaki, Y., Okamoto, M., Nishimura, H., Aoki, Y., Murata, T., Hoshina, H., Hongo, S., Ootani, K. (2007). Outbreak of Human Metapneumovirus Detected by Use of the Vero E6 Cell Line in Isolates Collected in Yamagata, Japan, in 2004 and 2005. J. Clin. Microbiol. 45: 1912-1919 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kahn, J. S. (2006). Epidemiology of Human Metapneumovirus. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 19: 546-557 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»