Detection of human Metapneumovirus infection in children under 18 years old hospitalized in Lima-Peru.

Juana Del Valle-Mendoza,Angela Cornejo-Tapia,Isaac Peña-Tuesta,Wilmer Silva-Caso,Miguel Angel Aguilar-Luis,Hugo Carrillo-Ng,Fiorella Orellana-Peralta,Eduardo Verne,Jorge Valverde-Ezeta,Claudia Weilg,Claudia Ugarte,Carlos Palomares-Reyes,Luis J Del Valle

doi:10.7717/peerj.7266

Abstract

BackgroundHuman Metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a negative single-stranded RNA virus. Infection by hMPV mainly affects the pediatric population and can cause upper or lower respiratory tract pathologies which can develop life threating complications. This study was carried out between 2009 and 2010 in a high complexity national hospital in Lima, Peru. The time frame corresponds to the pandemic of influenza A H1N1.MethodsA prospective study was performed between September 2009 and September 2010. Patients with a clinical diagnosis suggestive of an acute respiratory infection were included. RT-PCR was utilized to attain the amplification and identification of the hMPV.ResultsA total of 539 samples were analyzed from patients with a clinical context suggestive of an acute respiratory tract infection. Of these samples 73, (13.54%) were positive for hMPV. Out of the positive cases, 63% were under one year old, and increased to nearly 80% when considering children younger than two years old. Cough was the most frequent symptom presented by our population with a number of 62 cases (84.93%). Viral seasonality was also established, noting its predominance during the months of summer in the southern hemisphere. The infection by hMPV has an important prevalence in Peru. It mainly affects children under one year old and should be considered an important differential diagnosis in a patient with an acute respiratory infection.

Highlights

The Human Metapneumovirus is a negative single-stranded RNA virus
The aim of this study is to identify the Human Metapneumovirus responsible for acute respiratory infections in children from September 2009 to September 2010 in Lima, Peru
A total of 539 samples belonging to patients with a clinical context suggestive of an acute respiratory tract infection were analyzed

Summary

Introduction

The Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a negative single-stranded RNA virus. It belongs to the family Pneumoviridae, which includes the genus Metapneumovirus and Orthopneumovirus, whose main representatives are the Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) and the Respiratory Syncytial Virus, respectively (Van den Hoogen et al, 2003). Infection due to hMPV mainly affects the pediatric population and can cause diverse pathologies of the upper or lower respiratory tract, which include rhinopharyngitis, laryngitis, croup, pneumonia, bronchiolitis or asthma exacerbations (Williams et al, 2004; Boivin et al, 2007). It has been described and established in Western countries that the prevalence of the Human Metapneumovirus increases during the late winter months and the beginning of the spring; it has been reported during late spring and summer months in cities such as Hong Kong (Van den Hoogen et al, 2003; Williams et al, 2004; Peiris et al, 2003; Døllner et al, 2004; Haynes et al, 2016). It mainly affects children under one year old and should be considered an important differential diagnosis in a patient with an acute respiratory infection

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