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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 2006, p. 1484-1489, Vol. 44, No. 4
0095-1137/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.44.4.1484-1489.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of Human Metapneumovirus Infections in Israel

Liora Regev,1,3 Musa Hindiyeh,1 Lester M. Shulman,1 Asher Barak,2 Virginia Levy,1 Roberto Azar,1 Yael Shalev,1 Zehava Grossman,1 and Ella Mendelson1,3*

Central Virology Laboratory, Public Health Services, Ministry of Health, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer,1 Pediatric Pulmonary Unit, The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer,2 Faculty of life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel3

Received 19 May 2005/ Returned for modification 1 September 2005/ Accepted 1 January 2006

Respiratory tract infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Even with the advancement of diagnostic tools, the causative agent of 20 to 30% of upper respiratory tract infections go undiagnosed. Recently, a newly identified human respiratory virus, human metapneumovirus (hMPV), was discovered in young children in The Netherlands. To study the prevalence of hMPV infections in Israeli children, respiratory specimens from 388 hospitalized children less than 5 years of age were evaluated for the presence of hMPV RNA, which was present in 42 (10.8%) of these samples. All hMPV-positive samples were negative for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza viruses (Flu) A and B, adenovirus, and parainfluenza viruses 1, 2, and 3. Conversely, hMPV RNA was not detected in 76 RSV-positive and 38 Flu A- or B-positive samples. Most hMPV activity was between the months February and April. Sequence analysis of 20 positive samples revealed that both of the hMPV genotypes (groups 1 and 2) have circulated in central Israel during the study period. Moreover, three of the four known hMPV subgroups (1A, 1B, and 2B) were detected among the tested samples. Seroprevalence of hMPV in 204 patients from the central part of Israel revealed that 100% of the children are hMPV seropositive by the age of 5 years old. We conclude that hMPV is a common respiratory pathogen in Israel, while mixed infections of hMPV with RSV or Flu in hospitalized children are apparently rare.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Central Virology Laboratory, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer 52621, Israel. Phone: 3 530 2421. Fax: 3 530 0436. E-mail: ellamen{at}sheba.health.gov.il.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 2006, p. 1484-1489, Vol. 44, No. 4
0095-1137/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.44.4.1484-1489.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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