medical school

  Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is one of the viruses that causes the common cold (upper respiratory infection).  It usually makes people only mildly sick, but it can make some people very sick . The virus belongs to the Pneumoviridae family of viruses, along with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is the most reliable way to diagnose hMPV , giving accurate results within a few hours. However, doctors may not suggest this test for people with cold or flu-like symptoms as there is no specific treatment for hMPV infection, and in most cases, it causes mild disease. Two rapid antigen detection methods are available:  an immunofluorescent-antibody test and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) . The ELISA method with mouse polyclonal antibodies to hMPV has been reported to enable detection of hMPV antigens of hMPV-infected cells in culture