Prevalence of human Metapneumovirus and nasal cytokine profiles among children under two years of age seen at mtrh and Huruma Sub-county hospital.

Abstract

Introduction: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) with tropism for the respiratory tract epithelium, causes an acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) accounting for 5-10% of all ARIs. Patients may be asymptomatic, or exhibit symptoms ranging from mild upper respiratory tract symptoms to severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia in the lower respiratory tract. Diagnostic markers of the various stages of infection are not well elucidated. It is important to study the nasal immune responses to understand its implication in disease resolution and pathology.