Molecular epidemiology and genetic characteristics of human metapneumovirus in Suzhou
10.3760/cma.j.cn112309-20250303-00065
- VernacularTitle:苏州市人偏肺病毒的分子流行病学及遗传特征研究
- Author:
Xuan YUAN
1
;
Zefeng DONG
1
;
Zhihui XU
1
;
Xuerong YA
1
;
Qiang SHEN
1
Author Information
1. 苏州市疾病预防控制中心病原微生物与生物检验科，苏州 215131
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Epidemiology;
Human metapneumovirus;
Whole-genome sequencing;
Mutations
- From:
Chinese Journal of Microbiology and Immunology
2025;45(10):826-831
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of human metapneumovirus（hMPV）in respiratory samples from patients in Suzhou，China，and investigate the results of whole-genome sequencing，so as to provide scientific evidence for a deeper understanding of its genetic diversity and the development of preventive measures.Methods:In this study，1 340 influenza-like illness（ILI）samples and 970 severe acute respiratory infection（SARI）samples were collected from two sentinel hospitals in Suzhou in 2024. Nucleic acid detection was performed using a multiplex real-time fluorescence PCR method. For hMPV-positive samples，whole-genome sequencing was conducted on the Illumina Miseq platform. Mutations，insertions，deletions，and other variations were identified using the pathogenic virus whole-genome analysis system. A phylogenetic tree was constructed by the Maximum Likelihood method for lineage analysis.Results:Among 2 310 respiratory samples，the overall hMPV positivity rate was 1.69%（39/2 310），with positivity rates of 1.27%（17/1 340）in ILI samples and 2.27%（22/970）in SARI samples. No statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups（ P>0.05）. The proportion of mixed infections in hMPV-positive samples was 46.15%（18/39），with mixed infection rates of 23.53%（4/17）in the ILI group and 63.64%（14/22）in the SARI group. In terms of temporal distribution，the peak period of hMPV infection primarily concentrated in January and December. The whole genomes of 13 hMPV strains were successfully obtained，and 554 missense mutations were identified in the coding region，with particularly significant variations observed in the G gene region. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 4 strains belonged to the A2b2 subtype，while 9 strains belonged to the B2 subtype. Conclusions:In Suzhou，hMPV exhibits a relatively balanced distribution between ILI and SARI clinical groups，with infection peaks mainly occurring in winter and a high proportion of mixed infections. The predominant circulating strain is the B2 subtype，and its genome shows significant genetic variation，particularly in the G gene region.
