Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a recently identified RNA virus belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family, which includes several major human and animal pathogens. Epidemiological studies indicate that hMPV is a significant human respiratory pathogen with worldwide distribution. It is associated with respiratory illnesses in children, adults, and immunocompromised patients, ranging from upper re...

The recent description of the respiratory pathogen human metapneumovirus (hMPV) has highlighted a deficiency in current diagnostic techniques for viral agents associated with acute lower respiratory tract infections. We describe two novel approaches to the detection of viral RNA by use of reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR). The PCR products were identified after capture onto a solid-phase mediu...

Acute pneumonia developed in a previously healthy man during the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in southern China in March 2003. Antibiotic treatment was ineffective, and he died 8 days after illness onset. Human metapneumovirus was isolated from lung tissue. No other pathogen was found. Other etiologic agents should thus be sought in apparent SARS cases when coronavirus i...

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a pathogen associated with respiratory tract infection and is related to avian pneumovirus. Typically, children, the elderly, and those who are immunocompromised are the most susceptible to HMPV infection; however, the virus can infect persons of all ages. In otherwise healthy individuals, HMPV infection is generally self-limiting, but immunocompromised individua...

Merchant et al., by using ung+ and ung– Escherichia coli strains, demonstrated that total nitric oxide exposures in the μmol/L range can lead to C→T mutations by a mechanism probably involving cytosine deamination (8). On the other hand, in M. smegmatis, the abrogation of the Ung activity leads not only to increased mutator phenotype but also to growth inhibition by reactive nitrogen intermedia...

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) has been recently discovered as an etiological agent of acute respiratory infections. Our purpose was to asses the virological and clinical features of children with respiratory infections caused by hMPV. We examined 658 nasopharyngeal swab samples obtained from 637 children with respiratory infections for hMPV by using reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). A total of...

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) has been described as an important etiologic agent of upper and lower respiratory tract infections, especially in young children and the elderly. Most of school-aged children might be introduced to HMPVs, and exacerbation with other viral or bacterial super-infection is common. However, our understanding of the molecular evolution of HMPVs remains limited. To addres...