Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3370600 | Journal of Clinical Virology | 2007 | 4 Pages |
BackgroundHuman metapneumovirus (hMPV) has been described as an etiologic agent of acute respiratory infections (ARI), mainly in pediatric patients. Viral isolation is difficult and has low sensitivity, and consequently RT-PCR assays are currently used for detection.ObjectivesDetect hMPV in ARI in hospitalized children in Southern Brazil; standardize a RT-PCR for routine hMPV diagnosis; validate a positive control for molecular tests; and perform phylogenetics analyses.Study designNasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) from 156 hospitalized children were studied. A conserved region of the nucleoprotein gene was cloned, characterized and used to standardize an RT-PCR assay. Phylogenetic analyses were performed. Clinical data were obtained from medical records.ResultshMPV was detected in 6.4% of the samples. Dyspnea and wheezing were frequently reported symptoms and the most common diagnoses were bronchiolitis, acute respiratory insufficiency or laryngotracheobronchitis. Nucleotide sequence alignment revealed 97.7% identity with genotype A1 of hMPV. The detection limit of hMPV genomes by RT-PCR in clinical samples was 180 copies/μL.ConclusionThis is the first report of the detection and genetic characterization of hMPV infections in children with lower ARI in Southern Brazil.