Determinants of respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus transmission

David A Foley^{1

2

3}, David W Smith^{1

3}, Ian Barr^{4

5

6}, Hannah C Moore^{2

7}, Mark Nicol^{2

8}, Christopher C Blyth^{1

2

3

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.
² Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Kid's Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
³ School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
⁴ WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, VIDRL, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
⁶ School of Applied Biomedical Sciences, Federation University, Churchill, Victoria, Australia.
⁷ School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
⁸ Marshall Centre, Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
⁹ Department of Infectious Diseases, Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.

PMID: 40748057
PMCID: PMC12424386 (available on 2026-08-01)
DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00203-24

Review

Determinants of respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus transmission

David A Foley et al. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2025.

. 2025 Sep 11;38(3):e0020324.

doi: 10.1128/cmr.00203-24. Epub 2025 Aug 1.

Authors

David A Foley^{1

2

3}, David W Smith^{1

3}, Ian Barr^{4

5

6}, Hannah C Moore^{2

7}, Mark Nicol^{2

8}, Christopher C Blyth^{1

2

3

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.
² Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Kid's Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
³ School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
⁴ WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, VIDRL, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
⁶ School of Applied Biomedical Sciences, Federation University, Churchill, Victoria, Australia.
⁷ School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
⁸ Marshall Centre, Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
⁹ Department of Infectious Diseases, Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.

PMID: 40748057
PMCID: PMC12424386 (available on 2026-08-01)
DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00203-24

Abstract

SUMMARYRespiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus are major causes of respiratory illness globally, particularly affecting children and older adults. Despite their clinical significance, substantial gaps persist in understanding the determinants of their transmission. This review examines the multifaceted factors shaping RSV and hMPV transmission, including viral structure and evolution, host behaviors and viral shedding dynamics, the influence of environmental conditions on viral survival, the roles of population- and community-level transmission networks, and the impact of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, we explore prevention strategies, including immunizations and non-pharmaceutical interventions, to reduce transmission in high-risk settings.

Keywords: environment; human metapneumovirus; primary prevention; respiratory syncytial virus; respiratory virus; tranmission network; transmission; viral shedding.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

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Determinants of respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus transmission

Affiliations

Determinants of respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus transmission

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical

Miscellaneous