Persistent Symptomless Human Metapneumovirus Infection in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients

Sequential nasopharyngeal aspirates from patients without respiratory symptoms undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) were tested for genomic RNA of human metapneumovirus (hMPV). Persistent hMPV infection was documented in most of them and confirmed by virus isolation. hMPV infection etiology was also evaluated during the same period in samples from pediatric patients with acute respiratory diseases (ARDs). Sequence analysis of hMPV in HSCT recipients documented infection by hMPV genotype A and strong interhost similarity; this pattern differs from that observed in pediatric patients with ARDs. The data indicate that HSCT recipients may frequently develop symptomless hMPV infection.