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Global Extension and Predominance of Human Metapneumovirus A2 Genotype with Partial G Gene Duplication

Juan Carlos Muñoz-Escalante1, Gabriel Mata-Moreno2, Gerardo Rivera-Alfaro1

  • 1Microbiology Department, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí 78210, Mexico.

Viruses
|May 28, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) strains with G gene partial duplications are now leading globally in group A. These variants have displaced older strains across Asia, Europe, and South America since 2016.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Molecular Epidemiology

Background:

  • Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a significant respiratory pathogen.
  • HMPV is classified into two main groups, A and B.
  • Recent HMPV strains exhibit partial duplications (111-nt and 180-nt) in the G gene.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if HMPV strains with 111-nt or 180-nt G gene duplications are emerging as dominant worldwide.
  • To analyze the temporal and geographic distribution of these HMPV variants.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of all complete HMPV G gene ectodomain sequences available in GenBank.
  • Identification and classification of HMPV strains based on G gene duplication status.
  • Assessment of temporal trends and geographic spread of different HMPV genotypes.

Main Results:

  • 1462 HMPV sequences from 37 countries were analyzed (764 HMPV A, 698 HMPV B).
  • The most common HMPV A genotype was A2b2 (366 sequences), and the most common B genotype was B2 (374 sequences).
  • 84 sequences had the 111-nt duplication, and 90 had the 180-nt duplication. Since 2016, duplicated strains became the most frequent HMPV A globally, displacing others in Asia, Europe, and South America.

Conclusions:

  • HMPV strains with partial G gene duplications have become globally dominant within HMPV group A since 2016.
  • These variants show a significant geographic spread in Asia, Europe, and South America.
  • Ongoing surveillance is crucial for tracking epidemiologically important HMPV variants and their spread.
Keywords:
acute respiratory infectionsepidemiologygenotypehuman metapneumovirusmolecular epidemiologypneumovirus

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