Human metapneumovirus (hMPV)

 

The estimated incubation period is 3 to 6 days, and the median duration of illness can vary depending upon severity but is similar to other respiratory infections caused by viruses.

Secretions from coughing and sneezing.

Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands.

Touching objects or surfaces that have the viruses on them then touching the mouth, nose, or eyes.

The peak age of hospitalization for infants with hMPV occurs between 6–12 months of age, slightly older than the peak of RSV, which is around 2–3 months.

The clinical features and severity of HMPV are similar to those of RSV.

hMPV is associated with 5% to 40% of respiratory tract infections in hospitalized and outpatient children

No vaccines or antivirals are available.

High-throughput screening

High throughput screening (HTS)

HTS is an approach in antiviral drug discovery involving the use of automated equipment to rapidly test huge libraries of chemical or biological materials with the aim of identifying hit molecules against specific viruses. HTS is usually done in culture plates with 384 or 1536 wells format using high performance liquid/plate handling devices.