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Review
. 2025 Jun 2;17(6):e85259.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.85259. eCollection 2025 Jun.

The Re-emergence of Human Metapneumovirus: Virus Classification, Characteristics, Mechanisms of Infection, Clinical Features, Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Prevention, and Treatment

Nethra Chittiprol  1 , Venkataramana Kandi  2 , Venkata Bharat Kumar Pinnelli  3 , Tarun Kumar Suvvari  4   5 , Naveen Madamsetti  6 , Jayashankar Ca  7 , Sai Teja Challa  8
Affiliations
Review

The Re-emergence of Human Metapneumovirus: Virus Classification, Characteristics, Mechanisms of Infection, Clinical Features, Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Prevention, and Treatment

Nethra Chittiprol et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

The respiratory virus known as the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) was discovered for the first time in 2001 in the Netherlands. It is a ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus that belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family. It causes upper and lower respiratory tract infections (RTIs), especially in young children and the elderly. Although the majority of HMPV infections are resolved on their own, some infected infants, children, and elderly patients need to be hospitalized. Patients with underlying immunodeficiency diseases, transplant recipients, and those with other co-morbidities, such as chronic diseases, are more likely to develop complications from HMPV infections, such as pneumonia. The symptoms of HMPV infections are similar to those of other viral RTIs caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza viruses, and coronaviruses. Differential diagnosis and identification of the etiological agents responsible for RTIs are crucial for improved patient care. Concerns of the next pandemic have been fueled by the discovery of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) that caused the pandemic, and the recent advent of other viral diseases like mpox. In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized the importance of public health readiness, as many pandemics are expected to occur. In light of this and a recent increase in HMPV cases signifying its potential re-emergence, we tried to thoroughly examine and update information on origin, transmission, pathogenicity, clinical features, laboratory diagnosis, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of HMPV.

Keywords: coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19); human metapneumovirus (hmpv); pandemic; re-emergence; respiratory tract infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (sars-cov-2).

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Taxonomical position of human metapneumovirus
Image credit: Venkataramana Kandi RNA: ribonucleic acid
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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