Department of Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2010 Nov;29(11):1016-8. doi: 10.1097/INF.0b013e3181e3331a.
Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a major cause of respiratory tract illness in young children and causes annual outbreaks in winter and spring seasons. We evaluated the subgroups of HMPV that caused annual outbreaks and its seasonal occurrence during a 21-year period.
Real-time PCR was used for detection of HMPV in 3576 nasopharyngeal aspirates that had been continuously collected year-round for the years 1987 to 2008 from infants hospitalized with acute respiratory tract illness. Phylogenetic analysis was used to assess HMPV subgroups.
Of the 3576 samples obtained, 202 (5.6%) tested positive for HMPV. All known HMPV subgroups (A1, A2a, A2b, B1, B2) could be identified as important respiratory tract pathogens in infants. We found that one HMPV subgroup predominated each year, and it was displaced by another subgroup every 1 to 3 years. Besides the frequent change in predominant HMPV subgroups, we observed a yearly shift in the seasonal occurrence, with a strong peak of HMPV activity in late spring-summer months every second year.
HMPV activity is characterized by a periodic change in the predominant subgroup and it shows a stable seasonal rhythm of alternating winter and spring activity.
人偏肺病毒（HMPV）是导致婴幼儿呼吸道疾病的主要病原体，每年冬春季都会爆发。我们评估了导致年度爆发的 HMPV 亚群及其在 21 年期间的季节性发生情况。
使用实时 PCR 检测 1987 年至 2008 年间因急性呼吸道疾病住院的婴幼儿连续全年采集的 3576 份鼻咽抽吸物中的 HMPV。通过系统进化分析评估 HMPV 亚群。
在获得的 3576 个样本中，有 202 个（5.6%）检测出 HMPV 呈阳性。所有已知的 HMPV 亚群（A1、A2a、A2b、B1、B2）均可被鉴定为婴幼儿重要的呼吸道病原体。我们发现，每年都有一种 HMPV 亚群占优势，每 1-3 年就会被另一种亚群取代。除了主要 HMPV 亚群的频繁变化外，我们还观察到季节性发生的年度变化，每隔一年春季末至夏季 HMPV 活动会出现一个强烈高峰。
HMPV 活动的特点是主要亚群的周期性变化，并表现出冬春交替的稳定季节性节律。
