Objective To investigate the infection status and clinical parameters of human metapneumovirus(HMPV)in children with acute respiratory tract infections in Jianyang area.Methods A total of 2 669 hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infec-tions at Jianyang People's Hospital from March 2023 to February 2024 were enrolled.Thirteen kinds of respiratory pathogens were de-tected using multiplex PCR and capillary electrophoresis.The clinical data of HMPV-infected children were collected and analyzed.Re-sults Out of 2 669 children with acute respiratory tract infections,209 were detected with HMPV,with a positive rate of 7.83%.HMPV-positive children were mainly concentrated in under 5 years old(73.21%),with cough,fever,wheezing,and shortness of breath as main clinical manifestations.The rate of single HMPV infection was 58.85%,and those of mixed bacterial infection and mixed viral infection were 26.69% and 13.88%,respectively.The levels of white blood cells(WBC),lymphocytes(LYM),platelets(PLT),C-reactive protein(CRP),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),troponin I(cTn I),and procalcitonin(PCT)in the mixed infection group were significantly higher than those in the single HMPV infection group(P＜0.05),while the levels of hemoglobin(Hb),total protein(TP),and creatinine(Cr)were significantly lower than those in the single HMPV infection group(P＜0.05).Compared with the non-severe pneumonia group,the levels of WBC,Hb,PLT,and CRP in the severe pneumonia group were significantly increased(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age＜3 years,co-infection,and CRP≥20 mg/L were risk factors for severe HMPV pneumonia(P＜0.05).Conclusion HMPV is one of the important pathogens causing acute respiratory tract infections in children in Jianyang area.The elevated levels of some laboratory indicators are associated with the severity of infection.Early and comprehensive bacteriological testing and detection of inflammatory markers are beneficial for guiding clinical treatment.

Objective To investigate the infection status and clinical parameters of human metapneumovirus(HMPV)in children with acute respiratory tract infections in Jianyang area.Methods A total of 2 669 hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infec-tions at Jianyang People's Hospital from March 2023 to February 2024 were enrolled.Thirteen kinds of respiratory pathogens were de-tected using multiplex PCR and capillary electrophoresis.The clinical data of HMPV-infected children were collected and analyzed.Re-sults Out of 2 669 children with acute respiratory tract infections,209 were detected with HMPV,with a positive rate of 7.83%.HMPV-positive children were mainly concentrated in under 5 years old(73.21%),with cough,fever,wheezing,and shortness of breath as main clinical manifestations.The rate of single HMPV infection was 58.85%,and those of mixed bacterial infection and mixed viral infection were 26.69% and 13.88%,respectively.The levels of white blood cells(WBC),lymphocytes(LYM),platelets(PLT),C-reactive protein(CRP),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),troponin I(cTn I),and procalcitonin(PCT)in the mixed infection group were significantly higher than those in the single HMPV infection group(P＜0.05),while the levels of hemoglobin(Hb),total protein(TP),and creatinine(Cr)were significantly lower than those in the single HMPV infection group(P＜0.05).Compared with the non-severe pneumonia group,the levels of WBC,Hb,PLT,and CRP in the severe pneumonia group were significantly increased(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age＜3 years,co-infection,and CRP≥20 mg/L were risk factors for severe HMPV pneumonia(P＜0.05).Conclusion HMPV is one of the important pathogens causing acute respiratory tract infections in children in Jianyang area.The elevated levels of some laboratory indicators are associated with the severity of infection.Early and comprehensive bacteriological testing and detection of inflammatory markers are beneficial for guiding clinical treatment.