TCH Tapped to Assess hMPV Antibody

The Children's Hospital recently became one of the first U.S. laboratories to offer diagnostic testing for patients exhibiting Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) symptoms. A respiratory virus, hMPV produces a respiratory syncytial virus (or RSV-like) illness with bronchiolitis as a major symptom.

Last year, Diagnostic Hybrids, an Ohio-based biotech firm, was the first U.S. firm to acquire an antibody to hMPV. When mixed with infected cells the antibody glows bright green under the microscope.

"Based on our 'cutting edge' laboratory, Diagnostic Hybrids granted TCH and only two other U.S. labs the opportunity to assess the antibody's ability to detect hMPV directly in respiratory secretions," explained principle investigator Christine Robinson, PhD, Microbiology/Virology Laboratory.

Since its discovery five years ago, researchers discovered that hMPV has been causing a significant proportion of acute upper and lower respiratory tract disease in children worldwide for decades. "Our studies at TCH show that hMPV infects five to 15 percent of hospitalized children under age five with respiratory tract symptoms of unknown cause during the late winter into early spring."

In early November, TCH began automatically testing for hMPV in its direct stain panel for respiratory viruses. "So far we have not detected hMPV infections, so we might have to be patient before our first case," stated Robinson.

Although there currently is no treatment for hMPV, the diagnosis will help guide healthcare providers in caring for patients. "The diagnosis for hMPV will lower the cost of patient care, shorten length of stay, and reduce unwanted side effects of unnecessary drugs or treatments for children with the infection," explained Robinson. "Most importantly, caregivers can reassure anxious parents about the cause of their child's illness."