- Hello Jeff - The general opinion amongst PhDs is that
human metapneumovirus is not an oddity re infection of adults. I sent
an inquiry to Promed viral moderator and questioned "why is this newest
version of SARS, with likely etiologic agent hMPV, infecting adults and
also far more deadly then the virus that first appeared in 2001.
-
- The usual spread is among very young children, I would
say preschool and younger.
-
- I am finding it hard to believe that the same virus is
the causative agent of SARS.
- WHY is it striking Adults? Why is it so deadly?
-
- Something is not computing here. Although, I do not
believe the outbreaks to be bioterrorism, I do find that I am beginning
to feel that there is a lot more to the outbreaks, especially the initial
outbreak in Guangdong Province China then we are being told.
-
- Were the Chinese working on a vaccine for Human Metapneumovirus?
- Were they doing some sort of bioresearch and doctors
took ill?
- Is this why it was first seen in the medical community?
-
- I have many questions, but few answers. I am sending
the Promed moderator's comments to keep you updated...
-
- From ProMed Moderator:
-
- (Dear Patricia),
-
- The human pneumoviruses and the metapneumoviruses are
ubiquitous respiratory
- pathogens. Infection occurs in infancy and early childhood,
but does not
- confer prolonged immunity. In the case of respiratory
syncytial virus (a
- pneumovirus) it has been estimated that reinfection occurs
on average every
- 36 months. The outcome of infection can be serious in
infancy
- (bronchiolitis) and in the elderly (pneumonia), At other
ages infection is
- usually asymptomatic or mild URTI. The recently discovered
human
- metapneumovirus appears to behave similarly, but is less
prevalent than
- respiratory syncytial virus. I refer you to the following
paper: Human
- metapneumovirus infections in young and elderly adults
by Falsey et al., in
- Journal of Infectious Diseases, 187, (5), 785-790, (2003).
These authors
- conclude that: "Human metapneumovirus infection
occurs in adults of all ages
- and may account for a significant portion of persons
hospitalized with
- respiratory infections during some years."
-
- That said, I should emphasize that it is by no means
certain that a
- metapneumovirus is the etiologic agent of SARS. The pneumoviruses
and the
- parainfluenza viruses are very common viruses and are
likely to be isolated
- from the respiratory tract fortuitously..
-
- I hope that these brief comments answer your query.
-
- Best regards.
-
- Craig Pringle
- Virus Diseases Moderator
- ProMED-mail
-
- Patricia A. Doyle, PhD
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at:
- http://www.clickitnews.com/emergingdiseases/index.shtml
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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