Background/Aim: Background/Aim: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are among the most common
causes of morbidity and mortality in children. Viral pathogens constitute the main etiology especially
among young children. Human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a newly described RNA virus of the family
Paramyxoviridae, has been discovered as an etiological agent of ARI. The aim of this study was detection
of hMPV infection in pediatric patients with ARIs and evaluation of direct fluorescent antibody (DFA)
test in detection of hMPV antigen in nasopharyneal aspirate (NPA) samples in comparison to reverse
transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the current “gold standard.” Methods: We examined
90 NPA samples obtained from 90 children with ARI attending the Pediatric Outpatient Clinic and
Pediatric Department of Benha University Hospital for detection of hMPV using RT-PCR and DFA test.
Results: Out of the 90 NPA samples examined, RNA sequence of hMPV were detected in 18 (20%) of
NPA samples. The frequency of hMPV detection was 27.3% in bronchiolitis patients, 21% in bronchitis
patients, 20.5% in patients with upper respiratory tract infection, 20% in asthmatic bronchitis patients
and 16.7% in patients with pneumonia. DFA test results were positive for 16 of the 18 RT-PCR- positive
samples and negative for the 72 RT-PCR- negative samples in addition to 2 false negative results. The
sensitivity and specificity of DFA were 88.9% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion: It is concluded that,
hMPV is a significant pathogen in children aged < five years. DFA test is a useful rapid method for
detection of hMPV in NPA samples, not only for diagnostic purposes, but also to help elucidate the
epidemiology of hMPV infection. Further studies are needed to assess the cost-effectiveness of the
implementation of this test in routine clinical virology laboratories. |
