An Overview of Research on Human Metapneumovirus Infection

Respiratory tract infection is an important cause of human morbidity and death worldwide and one of the main causes of death in children under 5 years old. Since 2001, researchers in the Netherlands reported a new virus related to respiratory tract infections in humans, especially infants – human metapneumovirus (HMPV), and the virus has been detected successively in the United States, Canada, Europe and other countries. This article reviews the virological, epidemiological, and clinical features of HMPV.

Virological characteristics of HMPV