TY - JOUR AU - Mullins, James A. AU - Erdman, Dean D. AU - Weinberg, Geoffrey A. AU - Edwards, Kathryn AU - Hall, Caroline B. AU - Walker, Frances J. AU - Iwane, Marika AU - Anderson, Larry J. T1 - Human Metapneumovirus Infection among Children Hospitalized with Acute Respiratory Illness T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2004 VL - 10 IS - 4 SP - 700 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Recent studies have associated human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection in children with respiratory disease of similar severity as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. We studied 668 banked swab specimens (one per admission) collected from a population-based, prospective study of acute respiratory illness among inpatient children from two U.S. cities. Specimens were tested for HMPV, RSV, influenza, and parainfluenza viruses by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction assays. Twenty-six (3.9%) were positive for HMPV; 125 (18.7%) for RSV; 45 (6.7%) for parainfluenza 1, 2, or 3; and 23 (3.4%) for influenza. HMPV-positive children were significantly older than RSV-positive children. HMPV-positive children required medical intensive care and received supplemental oxygen in similar frequencies to RSV-positive children. Among children hospitalized with respiratory illness, the incidence of HMPV infection was less than RSV, but clinical disease severity mirrored that of RSV infection. Further investigations to better characterize HMPV infection and its clinical effect are needed. KW - Respiratory tract infections KW - metapneumovirus KW - Respiratory Syncytial Virus KW - prospective studies KW - United States DO - 10.3201/eid1004.030555 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/10/4/03-0555_article ER - End of Reference