[Human metapneumovirus--new identified virus infecting human respiratory tract]

Abstract

Some information regarding some characteristics of new identified virus, causing human respiratory diseases (named human metapneumovirus--hMPV) has been written. Moreover, areas of existing, frequency of infections, the possibility of diagnosis have been included. This virus has been isolated and identified by Dutch researcher, van den Hoogen, for the first time in 2001. It is suggested that hMPV belongs to Paramyxoviridae family, Pneumovirinae subfamily, Metapneumovirus genus, but it has not been confirmed by the Committee of the Taxonomy of Viruses, yet. This virus has been reported and demonstrated to be present mostly in children, but also in elderly people over 65, in Europe, North America, Australia and Asia, suggesting a worldwide distribution. Serological studies showed that all children in Netherlands had been exposed to hMPV by the age of 5; it means that infections with hMPV are common in the childhood. The presence of antibodies in retrospective serum and the presence of virus in numerous retrospective specimens taken from individuals with respiratory infections in which an etiologic agent was not initially detected indicates that this virus had been circulating in human beings for at least 50 years. Clinical diseases associated with hMPV appears to be similar to those ones associated with human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV), ranging from mild upper respiratory tract infection to bronchiolitis and bronchopneumonia. Preliminary studies indicate that hMPV should be added to the list of pathogens associated with severe respiratory tract infections in immunocompromised patients and in chronic respiratory diseases patients (eg. asthma).