Mechanisms of disease caused by human metapneumovirus and protection using a novel polytype vaccine

A newly discovered respiratory virus, human metapneumovirus (HMPV), causes clinical disease that is very similar to human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and co-circulates with RSV. Human RSV is a major cause of morbidity and life-threatening respiratory tract disease in infants and young children worldwide, and is recognised as an important respiratory pathogen in elderly adults and immune compromised patients.The recent isolation of HMPV from children hospitalised with respiratory tract illness similar to RSV, but with unknown etiology, suggests that HMPV may mediate similar clinical pathology. The objectives of this proposal are to elucidate the mechanisms of immunity and disease pathogenesis associated with HMPV and to investigate the use of a novel vaccine to project against HMPV infection