Detection of the Human Metapneumovirus and Its Comparison with the Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Malignant Pediatric Patients with Acute Respiratory Tract Infections

Abstract

Background: Acute viral respiratory tract infections are a leading cause of illness in both children and adults. RSV is the most common cause of respiratory tract disease in children also hMPV was first isolated from children suffering from acute respiratory tract disease. The disease is more severe (sometimes lethal) in immunocompromised hosts Objective:The aim of the present study was to study the frequency of hMPV and RSV infections in children suffering from different types of malignancy with acute respiratory tract infection and to compare their occurrence in the studied patients. Methodology: This is a cross sectional study carried out on 50 malignant patients diagnosed as having acute respiratory infections. The included patients were children up to 6 years of age selected from hospitalized patients in National Cancer Institute. Throat swabs were obtained. The collected specimens were tested for the presence of hMPV and RSV by real time PCR. Results: RSV was detected in 6 out of 50 (12%) of the studied cases, while hMPV virus was not detected among our studied patients. All detected cases were less than two years old (median age 16 months) with a highly statistical significant association between detection of the RSV and age of patients (P<0.01). There was a statistically significant association betweenpatients with pneumonia and detection of RSV in the studied cases. Conclusion:RSV was detected in 12% of pediatricmalignant patients aged less than two years with ARTI, pneumonia was the most common presentation of ARTI in RSV infected cases.