Cited 214 times since 2004 (10.6 per year) source: EuropePMC Journal of clinical microbiology, Volume 42, Issue 3, 1 1 2004, Pages 981-986 Real-time reverse transcriptase PCR assay for detection of human metapneumoviruses from all known genetic lineages. Maertzdorf J, Wang CK, Brown JB, Quinto JD, Chu M, de Graaf M, van den Hoogen BG, Spaete R, Osterhaus AD, Fouchier RA

The discovery of human metapneumovirus and its implications for respiratory tract disease have emphasized the need for a sensitive, specific, and rapid assay to detect this virus in a clinical setting. It recently became clear that human metapneumovirus can be grouped into at least four genetic lineages. Previously described assays for the detection of human metapneumovirus were developed by using limited sequence information and failed to detect viruses from all four genetic lineages with comparable sensitivities. Here we describe the development and evaluation of a real-time reverse transcriptase PCR assay that detects human metapneumovirus from the four known genetic lineages with equal specificities and sensitivities.

J Clin Microbiol. 2004 3;42(3):981-986