Physicians who have an interest in infectious diseases knowwell that many infections cannot be assigned a microbial cause.This gap between what we observe and what we can explain isparticularly obvious in the realm of respiratory infections.The article on human metapneumovirus infections by Williamsand colleagues in this issue of the Journal (pages 443–450)represents substantial progress in bridging that gap.
Our assumption has been that the gap is attributable to a combinationof the insufficient sensitivity of our diagnostic tests andthe existence of several as-yet-undiscovered microbes. Bothof these assumptions turn out to be correct. . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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From the Division of Infectious Diseases (K.M.) and the Department of Laboratory Medicine (A.J.M.), Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston.
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