Acute respiratory tract infection is one of the top three causes of pediatric hospitalization, viral infection being the most common etiology. It has recently been discovered that human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a paramyxovirus is an important respiratory virus that plays major role of pediatric acute respiratory tract infection. The present report included two cases of hMPV infection in children presenting with progressive wheezing, hypoxia, and acute respiratory failure. The first patient was a 10-year-old girl with an underlying neurological disorder who developed severe respiratory problems due to hMPV infection. The other was a 6-month-old male infant who developed progressive dyspnea because of co-infection hMPV and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Consequently, hMPV should be investigated in children with severe respiratory failure with negative culture from common pathogens. Although both cases were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) owing to acute respiratory failure, only good supportive treatment was needed.

Keywords: Human metapneumovirus, Acute respiratory failure, Children

Received 7 Nov 2018 | Revised 8 Aug 2019 | Accepted 13 Aug 2019