Etiology of community-acquired pneumonia in infants and young children: Prevalence and molecular epidemiology of human metapneumovirus (HMPV).

The majority of lower respiratory infections (LRI) in infants and young children is caused by well-kown viruses as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza viruses, influenza viruses, and adenoviruses. In the remaining segment of LRI with so far unknown etiology, the recently discovered HMPV (1) might play a substantial role (2 - 4, 6). Thus, beside surveillance of RSV molecular epidemiology, nasopharyngeal aspirates obtained in a network of pediatric practices and clinical departments are investigated for HMPV by PCR and culture. Sequence variations and/or existence of viral subtypes will be searched for by alignement of representative portions of the HMPV genome (5). References: 1) B.G. van den Hoogen et al. (2001), Nature Medicine 7, 719-724 2) G. Boivin et al. (2002), J Infect Dis 186, 1330-1334 3) T.C.T. Peret et al. (2002), J Infect Dis 185, 1660-1663 4) T. Jartti et al. (2002), Lancet 360, 1393-1394 5) B.G. van den Hoogen et al. (2002), Virology 295, 119-132 6) J. Weigel et al. (2003), Bundesgesundheitsbl 46, 9-19

Additional information: http://www.UKL.uni-freiburg.de/microbio
contact person: Dr. Barbara Huck
Phone: (0761) 203-6618
Email: barbara.huck@uniklinik-freiburg.de

Start of project: 01.07.2002
End of project: 31.12.2005

Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
Neumann-Haefelin, Dieter

Actual Research Report

• BMBF/DLR (PID-ARI.Net)

• Puppe W, Weigl J, Berner R, Forster J, Neumann-Haefelin D, Meyer C, Zepp F, Schmitt HJ: Humanes Metapneumovirus in Deutschland nachgewiesen. Deutsches Ärzteblatt, 2003; 100: A2089.
• Weigl J, Forster J, Berner R, Puppe W, Neumann-Haefelin D, Meyer CU, Zepp F, Schmitt HJ: Virale Atemwegsinfektionen mit saisonaler Häufung bei Kindern. Bundesgesundheitsbl - Gesundheitsforsch, 2003; 46: 9-19.