Korean J Pediatr Infect Dis.  2013 Apr;20(1):28-35.

Clinical Manifestation of Human Metapneumovirus Infection in Korean Children

• Ahn JM
• Choi SY
• Kim DS
• Kim KH

Abstract

PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to determine the frequency, epidemiology and the clinical manifestation of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) infection in Korean children.
METHODS
From February 2010 to January 2012, we collected nasopharyngeal aspiration from 1,554 children who were hospitalized for acute lower respiratory tract infections at the Department of Pediatrics, Severance Children's Hospital. hMPV was detected by performing reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The medical records of the patients with positive results were retrospectively reviewed.
RESULTS
We detected hMPV in 99 of the 1,554 hospitalized children. The mean age of the hMPV infected children was 25 months, and 87% of the illnesses occurred between April and June. The most common diagnoses were pneumonia (73%) and bronchiolitis (16%). The clinical manifestations included cough, fever, respiratory distress, hoarseness, tachypnea, and wheezing. Coinfection with other respiratory viruses was found in 43 children (43%).
CONCLUSION
hMPV is one of the major virus causing acute respiratory tract infection in the age between 13 months and 48 months old with peaks during April to June. Reports of hMPV in Korea has been increasing but additional studies are required to define the epidemiology and the extent of disease caused by hMPV to determine future development of this illness in Korean children.

Keyword

Metapneumovirus; Respiratory tract infection; Korea; children

MeSH Terms

Bronchiolitis
Child
Child, Hospitalized
Coinfection
Cough
Fever
Hoarseness
Humans
Korea
Medical Records
Metapneumovirus
Pediatrics
Pneumonia
Respiratory Sounds
Respiratory Tract Infections
Retrospective Studies
Tachypnea
Viruses

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Age distribution of the patients with human metapneumovirus infection.

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  Fig. 2 The human metapneumovirus had the peak at May of 2010, 2011.

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  Fig. 3 Diagnosis distribution of the patients with human metapneumovirus infection by age.

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