Human Metapneumovirus and Lower Respiratory Tract Disease in Otherwise Healthy Infants and Children

We sought to determine the role of human metapneumovirus in lower respiratory tract illness in previously healthy infants and children.We tested nasal-wash specimens, obtained over a 25-year period from otherwise healthy children presenting with acute respiratory tract illness, for human metapneumovirus.A viral cause other than human metapneumovirus was determined for 279 of 687 visits for acute lower respiratory tract illness (41 percent) by...