Korean J Pediatr.  2006 Apr;49(4):401-409. 10.3345/kjp.2006.49.4.401.

Human metapneumovirus infection in Korean children

• Yeom HH
• Park JS
• Jeong DJ
• Kim CJ
• Kim YB
• Lee DH
• Kim KJ
• Chun JY
• Kang C
• Chung YS
• Cheong HM

• KMID: 2140906
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3345/kjp.2006.49.4.401

Abstract

PURPOSE: Human metapneumovirus(hMPV) is a respiratory viral pathogen that causes a wide spectrum of illnesses, ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe bronchiolitis. The virus has been identified world widely, but so far it has not been published in Korea.
METHODS
We obtained clinical samples by nasopharyngeal aspiration from 218 children hospitalized due to acute lower respiratory tract infections at Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Cheonan from October, 2004 to April, 2005. We designed specific primers from conserved region of fusion glycoprotein of hMPV. Total RNA was extracted and RT-PCR was performed, and single specific 423 bp product was obtained. The PCR product was confirmed to be fusion glycoprotein RNA by sequencing.
RESULTS
We detected hMPV in 15(6.9 percent) of the 218 hospitalized children. The infected children comprised nine boys and six girls; their mean age was 2.8 years(5 mo-12 yrs) and they were diagnosed with pneumonia(60 percent), bronchiolitis(33.3 percent), croup(6.6 percent). The number of cases of detected hMPV in Korea increased dramatically during the period from March to May 2005.
CONCLUSION
hMPV is circulating in Korean children and is associated with respiratory tract infection. Additional studies are required to define the epidemiology and the extent of diseases in the general population caused by hMPV.

Keyword

Metapneumovirus; Respiratory tract infection; Korea; Child

MeSH Terms

Asymptomatic Infections
Bronchiolitis
Child*
Child, Hospitalized
Chungcheongnam-do
Epidemiology
Female
Glycoproteins
Humans*
Korea
Metapneumovirus*
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Respiratory Tract Infections
RNA
Glycoproteins
RNA