Human metapneumovirus
Human metapneumovirus (HMPV or hMPV) is a type of virus that has one strand of RNA[1] and belongs to the Pneumoviridae family. It is very similar to another virus called Avian metapneumovirus (AMPV) group C. Scientists first found it in 2001 in the Netherlands by using a special method (RAP-PCR) to find unknown viruses in lab-grown cells.[2]
| Metapneumovirus | |
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| Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) structure and genome | |
Virus classification 
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| Unrecognized taxon (fix): | Metapneumovirus |
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By 2016, HMPV was the second most common virus (after respiratory syncytial virus, RSV) that caused lung and breathing problems in healthy children under 5 years old in a big clinic in the United States.[3]
Most babies with HMPV go to the hospital when they are between 6 to 12 months old. This is a bit older than babies with RSV, who usually get very sick at 2 to 3 months. The symptoms and how bad HMPV is are much like RSV. HMPV also makes older adults sick. A big outbreak of HMPV happened in China at the end of 2024.[4] In January 2025, the first cases of this virus were found in India.[5]
Reference
change- ↑ "Family: Pneumoviridae | ICTV". ictv.global. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ↑ van den Hoogen, Bernadette G.; de Jong, Jan C.; Groen, Jan; Kuiken, Thijs; de Groot, Ronald; Fouchier, Ron A. M.; Osterhaus, Albert D. M. E. (2001-06-01). "A newly discovered human pneumovirus isolated from young children with respiratory tract disease". Nature Medicine. 7 (6): 719–724. doi:10.1038/89098. ISSN 1546-170X. PMC 7095854. PMID 11385510.
- ↑ Williams, John V.; Harris, Paul A.; Tollefson, Sharon J.; Halburnt-Rush, Lisa L.; Pingsterhaus, Joyce M.; Edwards, Kathryn M.; Wright, Peter F.; Crowe, James E. (2004-01-29). "Human Metapneumovirus and Lower Respiratory Tract Disease in Otherwise Healthy Infants and Children". New England Journal of Medicine. 350 (5): 443–450. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa025472. ISSN 0028-4793. PMC 1831873. PMID 14749452.
- ↑ Singh, Vikrant (2025-01-03). "HMPV outbreak in China? Amid viral videos and govt ambiguity, know symptoms and precautions". Wion. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ↑ "HMPV is here: India detects its first case in Bengaluru". The Economic Times. 2025-01-06. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2025-01-06.