人偏肺病毒的研究进展

Human metapneumovirus:a review of recent progress

在全球范围内急性呼吸道感染是导致人类感染和死亡的首要因素。约20％的5岁以下儿童死亡是由于急性下呼吸道感染所致，而多数呼吸道感染的病原为病毒，常见的有呼吸道合胞病毒（respiratory syncytial virus，RSV）、流感病毒（influenza virus）甲和乙型、副流感病毒1～3型（para-influenza virus）、腺病毒（adenovirus，ADV）、肠道病毒和鼻病毒等。

Since firstly characterized in 2001, human metapneumovirus （hMPV） has become one of the major viral pathogens associated with acute respiratory tract infections in all age groups. Serological evidences indicate that hMPV has been transmitting for over 50 years among human beings. Children, elderly and immune-compromised patients are at a high risk of hMPV infection, especially children younger than 2 years old. The hMPV epidemic in temperate climates predominantly peaks in winter and spring seasons, which is concomitant with or right follows the epidemic of RSV. Current diagnosis of hMPV infection almost solely relies on the nucleotide detection using molecular biological methods. Human MPV belongs to the Metapneu- movirus genus in the Pneumovirinae subfamily of the family Paramyxoviridae, with similar gene order and protein functions to RSV. Genetic analysis has classified hMPV into two major genotypes and further into four subgenotypes. Although some promising vaccine candidates including inactivated, live-attenuated, recombinant, chimeric, subunits and DNA vaccines have demonstrated their effectiveness in animal models, the efficacy of these vaccines in mammal are still waiting to be verified. As for the treatment of hMPV infection, approaches such as Ribavirin, polyclonal human immunoglobulin, monoclonal antibodies, specific polypeptides and small interfering RNAs （siRNAs） have shown encouraging efficacy when tested in animals and cell models.