van den Hoogen Bernadette G, Osterhaus D M E, Fouchier Ron A M
Department of Virology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2004 Jan;23(1 Suppl):S25-32. doi: 10.1097/01.inf.0000108190.09824.e8.
Acute respiratory infections are the most common illnesses experienced by people of all ages worldwide. A portion of hitherto unexplained viral respiratory tract illnesses (RTIs) can now be attributed to the human metapneumovirus (hMPV), which was discovered in 2001. Several surveys on the burden of disease of hMPV infection have been conducted in various study groups and with different diagnostic assays. To estimate the impact of hMPV infection in a hospital setting and in the community at large, we reviewed these surveys to establish the burden of disease of hMPV infection.
Published data and our own additional unpublished data on the clinical impact of hMPV infection were reviewed.
Worldwide, hMPV infections account for at least 5 to 7% of the RTI in hospitalized children, but immunocompromised and elderly individuals are also at risk. In the general community hMPV infections account for at least 3% of patients who visit a general practitioner for RTI. The seasonality of hMPV infections resembles that for respiratory syncytial virus and influenza virus infections, with recurrent epidemics during the winter months. Clinical symptoms and laboratory findings associated with hMPV infection exhibit a spectrum virtually indistinguishable from those associated with respiratory syncytial virus disease. The development of diagnostic assays must take into account the existence of two hMPV serotypes.
急性呼吸道感染是全球各年龄段人群最常见的疾病。目前，一部分此前病因不明的病毒性呼吸道疾病（RTIs）可归因于2001年发现的人偏肺病毒（hMPV）。针对不同研究群体并采用不同诊断检测方法，已开展了多项关于hMPV感染疾病负担的调查。为评估hMPV感染在医院环境及整个社区中的影响，我们回顾了这些调查以确定hMPV感染的疾病负担。
对已发表的数据以及我们自己未发表的关于hMPV感染临床影响的额外数据进行了回顾。
在全球范围内，hMPV感染在住院儿童的RTIs中至少占5%至7%，但免疫功能低下者和老年人也有感染风险。在普通社区中，hMPV感染在因RTIs就诊于全科医生的患者中至少占3%。hMPV感染的季节性与呼吸道合胞病毒和流感病毒感染相似，在冬季会反复出现流行。与hMPV感染相关的临床症状和实验室检查结果与呼吸道合胞病毒疾病相关的表现几乎无法区分。诊断检测方法的开发必须考虑到hMPV两种血清型的存在。
