BACKGROUND Limited information is available on the role of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) as the unique pathogen among children hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in a tropical region. OBJECTIVE We aimed to describe HMPV infection among children with CAP investigating bacterial and viral co-infections. PATIENTS AND METHODS A prospective study was carried out in Salvador, Nort...

BACKGROUND Providing anesthesia to immunocompromised patients introduces unique challenges, including difficulty in detecting respiratory infections. Detailed preoperative evaluation and preparation for perioperative complications is crucial. Human metapneumovirus is a common but lesser known respiratory virus that can lead to pneumonia and respiratory compromise and is challenging to detect in...

We recently described the isolation of a novel paramyxovirus from children with respiratory tract disease in The Netherlands. Based on biological properties and limited sequence information the virus was provisionally classified as the first nonavian member of the Metapneumovirus genus and named human metapneumovirus (hMPV). This report describes the analysis of the sequences of all hMPV open r...

Exposure to the newly discovered human metapneumovirus (HMPV) during the first 2 years of life was studied by longitudinal serological analysis in 40 healthy children in southern Israel. The seropositivity rate decreased to a minimum by age 13 months and increased to 52% by age 24 months. Evidence of new infection was detected in 13%, 23%, and 55% of children by ages 7, 13, and 24 months, respe...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Recently, several previously unrecognized respiratory viral pathogens have been identified and several influenza A virus subtypes, previously known to infect poultry and wild birds, were transmitted to humans. Here we review the recent literature on these respiratory viruses. RECENT FINDINGS Human metapneumovirus has now been detected worldwide, causing severe respiratory tr...

The genus Metapneumovirus within the subfamily Pneumovirinae of the family Paramyxoviridae includes two members, human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), causing respiratory tract infections in humans and birds, respectively. Paramyxoviruses enter host cells by fusing the viral envelope with a host cell membrane. Membrane fusion of hMPV appears to be unique, in that fusion...