Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development

Human Metapneumovirus is a member of the family Pneumoviridae. It is the second most common cause, after human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), for lower respiratory tract infection in young children. The aim of current study was to explore the infection rate of influenza viruses (H1N1, H3N2, influenza B) in patients with upper respiratory tract infection. Also, to investigate the percentage of HMPV in patients who were negative for (H1N1, H3N2, influenza B).

This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Central Public Health Laboratory/Ministry of Health (MOH-CPHL), baghdad, Iraq from May to December/2016 including 372 who had upper respiratory tract infection and they were diagnosed as having influenza viral infection (H1N1, H3N2, influenza B). One hundred patients of them, who were negative for influenza viruses, were randomly selected and tested for the presence of HMPV. Their age range was 1 month to 82 years. They were 163 (43.8%) males and 209 (56.1%) females. Molecular detection and determination of plasma viral DNA was achieved by Real Time quantitative PCR for all viruses. All data were statistically analyzed and P value <0.05 was considered significant.

The results found that the highest rate of influenza viral infection was due to strain H1N1 (14.24%) followed by strain B (13.1%), while infection by strain H3N2 was the lowest rate (7.5%). HMPV was detected in 9.9% of patients who were negative for the influenza virus infection. HMPV infection was significantly higher among age group 1–11 months (P= 0.001). The male: female ratio was (1.8: 1).

A part from influenza viral infection, infection by HMPV can occur separately and predominantly among male infants less than one year old.