Mishra Baijayantimala, Mohapatra Diksha, Tripathy Manisha, Mamidi Prabhudutta, Mohapatra Prasanta R
Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar, IND.
Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar, IND.
Cureus. 2025 Feb 1;17(2):e78354. doi: 10.7759/cureus.78354. eCollection 2025 Feb.
Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is identified as a pathogenic agent responsible for respiratory tract infections in paediatric, adult and elderly populations. It is a spherical, enveloped virus with a diameter of 209nm, consisting of a single-stranded, non-segmented, and negative-sense RNA genome of around 13.3 kb in length. hMPV infection is prevalent all around the globe, with peak positivity rates detected mostly during later winter and spring seasons. Mostly transmitted through droplet or aerosol contamination, this viral infection may manifest clinical characteristics indicative of both upper and lower respiratory tract infections like fever, cough, rhinorrhea, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and croup. The recommended laboratory diagnostic approach is reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, given the challenges associated with culturing the virus. This review article focuses on the structure, replication, genotype, epidemiology, seasonality, transmission methods, clinical manifestations in humans, treatment methodology, and outbreaks of hMPV that have been reported worldwide.
人偏肺病毒（hMPV）被确定为一种病原体，可导致儿童、成人和老年人群的呼吸道感染。它是一种直径为209nm的球形包膜病毒，由一个长度约为13.3kb的单链、不分节段的负链RNA基因组组成。hMPV感染在全球范围内普遍存在，大多在冬末和春季检测到阳性率高峰。这种病毒感染主要通过飞沫或气溶胶污染传播，可能表现出上呼吸道和下呼吸道感染的临床特征，如发热、咳嗽、流涕、肺炎、细支气管炎和哮吼。鉴于病毒培养存在挑战，推荐的实验室诊断方法是逆转录聚合酶链反应。这篇综述文章重点关注了hMPV的结构、复制、基因型、流行病学、季节性、传播方式、人类临床表现、治疗方法以及在全球范围内报告的疫情。
