Conflict of Interest statements
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Abstract :
Background This study aims to described the epidemiology and
genotypic diversity of Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and
the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the
prevalence of HMPV in hospitalized children with Acute respiratory tract
infections (ARTIs) in Beijing, China.
Methods From April 2018 to March 2019 and from September 2020
to August 2021, nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) from hospitalized
children with ARTIs in Beijing were collected and subjected to real-time
polymerase chain reaction tests for HMPV. Then genotyping, detection of
15 common respiratory viruses and clinical characteristics were
analyzed on HMPV positive samples.
Results 7.9% (124/1572)
enrolled paediatric patients were identified as having HMPV infection,
and the majority of children under the age of 5 (78.2%, 92/124), From
April 2018 to March 2019. The detection rate of HMPV in spring and
winter is significantly higher than that in summer and autumn. The
co-infection rate were 37.1% (46/124), the most common co-infected
virus were parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV-3). The main diagnosis of
HMPV infection was pneumonia (92.7%,115/124), most patient have cough
and fever. Of 78 HMPV-positive specimens, A2b (82.1%,64/78) were the
main epidemic subtypes. Hospitalized children with HMPV genotype A
infection had a higher viral load compared to genotype B. During the
COVID-19 outbreak, Among 232 samples, only 4 cases were HMPV-positive.
After statistical test, the detection rate of HMPV during the
COVID-19 pandemic has decreased
significantly compared with that before the epidemic (p =0.001).
Conclusions HMPV is an
important cause of ARTIs in children under 5 years old. The epidemic
peak is generally in winter and spring, and the A2b subtype is the most
common. However, under the prevention and control of the COVID-19
pandemic, the HMPV infection of hospitalized children with ARTIs has
decreased significantly.
Keywords Acute respiratory tract infections, Human
metapneumovirus , Epidemiology