Laboratory Biosafety-2, Institute of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Pediatr Pulmonol. 2010 Aug;45(8):824-31. doi: 10.1002/ppul.21264.
Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) has been reported to cause both upper and lower respiratory tract diseases in susceptible populations, particularly in children and the elderly. In this study, we describe a hospital-based epidemiological study of hMPV in patients presenting to a children's hospital and show the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with hMPV infection in China, retrospectively. Specimens were collected over a 2-year period from children hospitalized with acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTI) and analyzed for the presence of hMPV using real-time RT-PCR assays. The presence of hMPV was detected in 227 (25.9%) of the 878 children studied and may circulate year-round in the area, peaking during the winter-spring season. Younger children (aged less than 6 months) had the highest positive rate. Infections by hMPV showed similar epidemiology and clinical manifestations as for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and were found in high co-infections with RSV. Subgroup A2 hMPV was the most predominant genotype identified during the study period. This study indicates that hMPV is one of the major respiratory pathogens found in children in southwest China and vaccine development should be under consideration.
人偏肺病毒（hMPV）已被报道可引起易感人群的上、下呼吸道疾病，特别是儿童和老年人。在这项研究中，我们描述了一项针对就诊于儿童医院的患者的基于医院的 hMPV 流行病学研究，并回顾性地显示了与中国 hMPV 感染相关的人口统计学和临床特征。在为期 2 年的时间里，从因急性下呼吸道感染（ALRTI）住院的儿童中采集标本，并使用实时 RT-PCR 检测 hMPV 的存在。在 878 名研究儿童中，有 227 名（25.9%）检测出 hMPV 阳性，表明该地区 hMPV 可能全年流行，冬季至春季为高峰期。年龄较小的儿童（<6 个月）的阳性率最高。hMPV 感染的流行病学和临床表现与呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV）相似，并且与 RSV 高度混合感染。在研究期间，亚组 A2 hMPV 是最主要的基因型。本研究表明，hMPV 是中国西南部儿童中主要的呼吸道病原体之一，应考虑疫苗的开发。
