Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a leading respiratory pathogen that causes lower respiratory tract infections worldwide. Acute HMPV infection induces an exacerbated inflammatory neutrophilic response leading to bronchiolitis and pneumonia. However, the mechanism by which the virus regulates neutrophil infiltration into the airways still remains unexplored. In this work, we used an experimental ...

UNLABELLED Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a major etiologic agent of respiratory disease worldwide. HMPV reinfections are common in healthy adults and children, suggesting that the protective immune response to HMPV is incomplete and short-lived. We used gene-deletion viruses to evaluate the role of the attachment G and small hydrophobic SH glycoproteins on virus uptake by primary human monocy...

UNLABELLED Type I IFN signaling, which is initiated through activation of the alpha interferon receptor (IFNAR), regulates the expression of proteins that are crucial contributors to immune responses. Paramyxoviruses, including human metapneumovirus (HMPV), have evolved mechanisms to inhibit IFNAR signaling, but the specific contribution of IFNAR signaling to the control of HMPV replication, pa...

After the initial isolation of human met-apneumovirus (hMPV) from infants with respiratory tract illnesses (RTIs), a pleth-ora of studies involving the pediatric population have demonstrated that, in this population, hMPV infection accounts for 5%–25% of reported RTIs. Among infants hospitalized for RTI, hMPV is often the second most detected pathogen after human respiratory syncytial virus (hR...

The mechanisms that regulate the host immune response induced by human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a newly-recognized member of the Paramyxoviridae family, are largely unknown. Cytokines play an important role in modulating inflammatory responses during viral infections. IL-12p40, a known important mediator in limiting lung inflammation, is induced by hMPV and its production is sustained after the ...

Background The first outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) occurred in March 2020 Europe, which is normally the peak incidence period human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infections, implying cocirculation and potentially causing competition between them.Methods We investigated differences clinical characteristics outcomes HMPV infections hospitalized patients before (January 2016–28 February...

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is an important agent of acute respiratory tract infection in children, while its pathogenicity and molecular evolution are lacking. Herein, we firstly report the synonymous codon usage patterns of HMPV genome. The relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) values, effective number of codon (ENC) values, nucleotide contents, and correlation analysis were performed among...

Following its detection in 2001, human metapneumovirus (hMPV) has repeatedly been reported as a respiratory pathogen, especially in children. This study was aimed at determining the proportion of hMPV infections in patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) during the three influenza seasons 2005-6, 2006-7, 2007-8 in northern Greece. We collected 380 nasopharyngeal swabs or aspirates from ILI p...

BACKGROUND Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are leading pediatric pathogens. However, risk factors for severe hMPV disease remain unknown. We comparatively assessed environmental, host, and viral determinants for severe hMPV and RSV infections. METHODS We studied a prospective cohort of >1000 children aged <3 years hospitalized in or presenting to a pediatric...

BACKGROUND Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a leading cause of acute respiratory tract infection, with significant morbidity and mortality. No licensed vaccines or therapeutic agents exist. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are effective at preventing other infectious diseases and could be used against HMPV in high-risk hosts. METHODS In vitro assays were performed to assess the neutralizing activi...