Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026
03:53
Development of Multiplex Real-Time RT-qPCR Assays for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A/B, and MERS-CoV
Published on: November 10, 2023
Human metapneumovirus subgroup changes and seasonality during epidemics
Judith H Aberle1, Stephan W Aberle, Monika Redlberger-Fritz
1Department of Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|May 22, 2010
Summary
Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) outbreaks in infants show distinct subgroup shifts every 1-3 years. HMPV activity also exhibits a stable seasonal pattern, alternating between winter and spring peaks.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Respiratory Infections
- Virology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a significant cause of respiratory illness in young children.
- HMPV is associated with annual winter and spring outbreaks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate HMPV subgroups responsible for annual outbreaks.
- To analyze the seasonal occurrence of HMPV over a 21-year period.
Main Methods:
- Real-time PCR used to detect HMPV in 3576 infant nasopharyngeal aspirates (1987-2008).
- Phylogenetic analysis employed to characterize HMPV subgroups.
Main Results:
- HMPV detected in 5.6% of samples; all known subgroups (A1, A2a, A2b, B1, B2) identified as pathogens.
- One HMPV subgroup predominated annually, with shifts every 1-3 years.
- Observed a yearly shift in seasonal activity, with a peak in late spring/summer every second year.
Conclusions:
- HMPV activity is marked by periodic changes in predominant subgroups.
- HMPV demonstrates a consistent seasonal rhythm, alternating between winter and spring activity.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Influenza
Influenza is an acute, highly communicable viral disease that affects the respiratory tract and is responsible for seasonal epidemics worldwide. Influenza A is the most prevalent type associated with widespread outbreaks and is subtyped based on two surface glycoproteins: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N), as in H1N1. These glycoproteins are essential for viral infectivity, transmission, and immune recognition. Transmission occurs primarily through respiratory droplets and contaminated...
01:29Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease
Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a widespread pathogen that primarily targets infants and young children but also poses a serious health risk to elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Belonging to the Pneumoviridae family, RSV is a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus within the Pneumovirus genus. Its global health burden is significant, with millions of cases annually resulting in hospitalizations and mortality, particularly in resource-limited settings. Although most...
01:28Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence
Infectious diseases appear in populations through various transmission patterns, influenced by pathogen characteristics, population immunity, environmental conditions, and social behavior. Understanding these patterns is essential for effective public health surveillance and intervention. These categories—sporadic, outbreak, epidemic, pandemic, and endemic—help frame the nature and scope of disease events.Sporadic diseases occur irregularly and infrequently, without a predictable temporal or...
00:36Viral Mutations
A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material for adaptive...
01:14Atypical Pneumonia
Atypical pneumonia, often caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, is a form of pulmonary infection that differs from the classical presentation of bacterial pneumonia in both its cause and clinical symptoms. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a pleomorphic bacterium notable for its lack of a rigid cell wall. This structural characteristic imparts resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics and significantly influences the bacterium’s behavior within the human host.Other pathogens responsible for the disease include...
00:57Viral Recombination
Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.