Abstract

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a respiratory tract virus identified 18 years prior to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2. Both viruses cause acute respiratory failure characterised by a rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs with clinical symptoms similar to those reported for other viral respiratory lung infections. HMPV, more generally known as childhood viral infection, causes mild and self-limiting infections in the majority of adults, but clinical courses can be complicated in risky groups and associated morbidity and mortality are considerable. Moreover, adults are not regularly screened for HMPV and the prevalence of adult HMPV infections in Turkey is unknown, with previous reports in the paediatric population. This should always be kept in mind during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic, particularly when neurological complications are added to respiratory findings. In our study, two adult cases of HMPV pneumonia and encephalitis have been recorded.

Keywords: Metapneumovirus infection, acute respiratory infections, neurological involvement, wide respiratory screening

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Copyright and license

Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to cite?

1.
Doğan L, Akıncı C, Sarıkaya ZT, Demirel Kaya HS, Zengin R, Mammadov O, et al. Human Metapneumovirus Infection in Adults as the Differential Diagnosis of COVID-19. Turk J Intensive Care. 2021;19(2):90-93. https://doi.org/10.4274/tybd.galenos.2020.62207