An Unusual Resurgence of Human Metapneumovirus in Western Australia Following the Reduction of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Transmission.

ABSTRACT: Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission disrupted respiratory virus seasonality. We examined the unusual return of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) in Western Australia following a period of absence in 2020. We analysed hMPV laboratory testing data from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2021. Whole-genome sequencing of selected hMPV-positive samples was performed using a tiled-amplicon approach. Following an absence in spring 2020, an unusual hMPV surge was observed during the wet summer season in the tropical Northern region in late 2020. Following a six-month delay, an intense winter season occurred in the subtropical/temperate Southern and Metropolitan regions. Compared to 2017-2019, hMPV incidence in 2021 increased by 3-fold, with a greater than 4-fold increas

SUBMITTER: Foley DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9612024 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature