Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec;56(1):2398719.
doi: 10.1080/07853890.2024.2398719. Epub 2024 Sep 2.

Molecular detection and genotyping of HMPV in patients with severe acute respiratory infection in India

Pragathi P  1 , Ujwal Shetty  1 , Preetiparna Parida  1 , Prasad Varamballi  1 , Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay  1 , Sudheesh N  1
Affiliations

Molecular detection and genotyping of HMPV in patients with severe acute respiratory infection in India

Pragathi P et al. Ann Med. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a common respiratory pathogen that causes respiratory tract infections. In India, HMPV has been identified as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in infants and young children with respiratory tract infections. The most reported sublineages of HMPV in India are B1, B2, A2b and A2c.

Objective: A retrospective study was conducted to determine the circulating genotypes of HMPV among SARI cases from January 2016 to December 2018.

Materials and methods: Positive throat swab samples were confirmed with real-time RT-PCR. Subsequently, these samples were analysed using semi-nested conventional RT-PCR targeting the G gene, followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Clinical data analysis was also performed using SPSS 15.0 software.

Results: All 20 samples from the SARI cases were classified under the A2c sublineage of HMPV. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that these strains were genetically related to those circulating in Japan, China, and Croatia. Among the samples, ten showed 111-nucleotide duplications, while the other ten had 180-nucleotide duplications.

Conclusion: Clinical analysis showed that four cases had coinfections with other pathogens. Our extensive analysis of patient samples determined that HMPV, especially the A2c genotype, significantly contributed to SARI cases within our study population, which signifies the importance of considering HMPV as a probable aetiological agent when investigating SARI outbreaks.

Keywords: HMPV; RT–PCR; SARI; climate action; good health and well-being.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The phylogenetic tree of HMPV strains, 2016-2018.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Jartti T, van den Hoogen B, Garofalo RP, et al. . Metapneumovirus and acute wheezing in children. Lancet. 2002;360(9343):1393–1394. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)11391-2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Boivin G, Abed Y, Pelletier G, et al. . Virological features and clinical manifestations associated with human metapneumovirus: a new paramyxovirus responsible for acute respiratory-tract infections in all age groups. J Infect Dis. 2002;186(9):1330–1334. doi: 10.1086/344319. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nao N, Saikusa M, Sato K, et al. . Recent molecular evolution of human metapneumovirus (HMPV): Subdivision of HMPV A2b strains. Microorganisms. 2020;8(9):1280. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms8091280. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Panda S, Mohakud NK, Pena L, et al. . Human metapneumovirus: review of an important respiratory pathogen. Int J Infect Dis. 2014;25:45–52. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2014.03.1394. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Van Den Hoogen BG, Bestebroer TM, Osterhaus ADME, et al. . Analysis of the genomic sequence of a human metapneumovirus. Virology. 2002;295(1):119–132. doi: 10.1006/viro.2001.1355. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources