BACKGROUND Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is an important cause of acute respiratory infections (ARI), but little is known about how it compares with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Central America. OBJECTIVES In this study, we describe hospitalized cases of HMPV- and RSV-ARI in Guatemala. METHODS We conducted surveillance at three hospitals (November 2007-December 2012) and tested nasop...

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a cause of respiratory tract illness at all ages. In this study the epidemiological and molecular diversity among patients of different ages was investigated. Between 2000-2001 and 2009-2010, HMPV was detected in 3% (138/4,549) of samples from outpatients with influenza-like illness with a new, sensitive real-time RT-PCR assay. Several hundred (797) clinical spec...

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is the second most prevalent causative agent of pediatric respiratory infections worldwide. Currently, there are no vaccines or antiviral drugs against this virus. One of the major hurdles in hMPV research is the difficulty to identify a robust small animal model to accurately evaluate the efficacy and safety of vaccines and therapeutics. In this study, we compared ...

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human Metapneumovirus (hMPV), viruses belonging to the family Paramyxoviridae, are the most important causes of lower respiratory tract infection in young children. Infections with RSV and hMPV are clinically indistinguishable, and both RSV and hMPV infection have been associated with aberrant adaptive immune responses. Myeloid Dendritic cells (mDCs) play a...

UNLABELLED Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a respiratory paramyxovirus that is distributed worldwide and induces significant airway morbidity. Despite the relevance of hMPV as a pathogen, many aspects of the immune response to this virus are still largely unknown. In this report, we focus on the antiviral immune response, which is critical for viral clearance and disease resolution. Using in vi...

BACKGROUND Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a leading cause of acute respiratory illness (ARI) in children. Population-based incidence rates and comprehensive clinical characterizations of disease have not been established. METHODS We conducted population-based prospective surveillance for 2 years in 2 US counties of HMPV infection among children <5 years old who were hospitalized with ARI or ...

Introduction. Since 2001, when Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) was isolated in the Netherlands, the virus has been detected in several continents. Although reports have confirmed the prevalence of HMPV worldwide, data from Egypt remain limited. HMPV plays an important role in respiratory tract infections in individuals of all ages particularly in children. This study was aimed at estimating the pr...

UNLABELLED Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) encodes three glycoproteins: the glycoprotein, which plays a role in glycosaminoglycan binding, the fusion (F) protein, which is necessary and sufficient for both viral binding to the target cell and fusion between the cellular plasma membrane and the viral membrane, and the small hydrophobic (SH) protein, whose function is unclear. The SH protein of the ...

UNLABELLED Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a major cause of respiratory disease in infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals worldwide. There is currently no licensed HMPV vaccine. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are an attractive vaccine candidate because they are noninfectious and elicit a neutralizing antibody response. However, studies show that serum neutralizing antibodies are i...

Recent studies have associated human metapneu-movirus (HMPV) infection in children with respiratory disease of similar severity as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. We studied 668 banked swab specimens (one per admission) collected from a population-based, prospective study of acute respiratory illness among inpatient children from two U.S. cities. Specimens were tested for HMPV, RSV...