Microbial Bioactives
Microbial Bioactives | Online ISSN 2209-2161
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Volume 9 Number 1 2026
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)
Human Metapneumovirus Infection and Glycemic-Renal Dysregulation: Cytokine Correlates and Implications for Type 2 Diabetes Risk in a Case-Control Study
Nahla Ghazi Mohammed Al Loza 1*, Ali Hassanen Ali 2, Teba Habeeb Sayfe 3, Alaa Fadhil Razzaq 4
Microbial Bioactives 9 (1) 1-8 https://doi.org/10.25163/microbbioacts.9110780
Submitted: 21 April 2026 Revised: 23 June 2026 Accepted: 29 June 2026 Published: 30 June 2026
Abstract
Background: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a globally distributed respiratory pathogen capable of provoking a vigorous innate inflammatory response, yet whether this response extends beyond the airway to perturb systemic glucose and renal physiology, with possible relevance to Type 2 diabetes risk, has rarely been examined directly.
Methods: In this case-control study, conducted across hospitals and laboratories in Babil Province, Iraq, between March 2025 and June 2026, we enrolled 60 patients with confirmed hMPV infection and 60 age-matched, non-diabetic healthy controls. Serum interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-17 (IL-17), and anti-hMPV IgG were measured by ELISA, while fasting blood glucose (FBG), urea, and creatinine were quantified using automated biochemical assays. Group differences were assessed with independent t-tests and chi-square tests, and Pearson’s correlation examined relationships among parameters.
Results: Patients showed significantly higher FBG (6.54 vs. 5.50 mmol/L), urea (7.34 vs. 4.63 mmol/L), and hMPV IgG (5.22 vs. 3.69 IU/L) than controls (all P < 0.05), while IL-17 was significantly lower (142.6 vs. 151.4 pg/mL, P < 0.05); IL-8 and creatinine did not differ. Urea correlated positively with age (r = 0.209) and hMPV IgG (r = 0.198), and negatively with IL-17 (r = -0.201; all P < 0.05). Smoking was markedly more common among patients (80.0% vs. 15.0%, P < 0.001).
Conclusion: hMPV infection appears to coincide with a transient hyperglycemic, pro-catabolic state alongside suppressed IL-17 signaling, a pattern that may carry implications for Type 2 diabetes risk in susceptible individuals. These preliminary associations support longitudinal follow-up to clarify causality and clinical relevance.
Keywords: Human metapneumovirus; Interleukin-17; Interleukin-8; Stress hyperglycemia; Type 2 diabetes risk
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