Co-infection of human metapneumovirus with adenovirus or respiratory syncytial virus among children in Japan

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is one of the etiological agents of acute respiratory tract infections. From June 2005 to May 2006, we collected 185 clinical specimens from children in Osaka City, Japan, and detected 41 hMPV RNA. Of the 41 specimens, four (9.8%) also contained other viruses (3 with adenovirus [AdV] and 1 with respiratory syncytial virus [RSV]). The clinical symptoms of patients coinfected with AdV were indistinct from those of patients mono-infected with hMPV. The symptoms of the one patient co-infected with RSV were clinically severe. Further research is needed to clarify the effect of hMPV on other respiratory viruses or vice versa.