Human metapneumovirus strains circulating in Latin America

The human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is responsible for acute respiratory tract infections in young children, elderly patients, and immunocompromised hosts. In this study, we genetically analyzed the circulating HMPV in Central and South America from July 2008 to June 2009 and characterized the strains present in this region. Samples were collected during an international collaborative influenza like illness surveillance study and then sequenced with specific primers for the HMPV G gene. Our results show that two distinct clusters of HMPV circulated in Central and South America, subtypes A2 and B2 being the predominant strains.