title: An epidemic of Kawasaki syndrome in Hawaii.
abstract: A community-wide outbreaks of Kawasaki syndrome, apparently the first in the United States, occurred in Hawaii in the first half of 1978. Twenty-seven of the 33 cases were subjected to intensive epidemiologic and microbiologic study. Patients with Kawasaki syndrome, compared to the general population, more often had Japanese ancestry, high-income status, and possibly a history of respiratory infection in the preceding month (44%). Staphylococcus aureus was not found in high frequency in the patients (15%), and viral cultures and serologic studies, immune electron microscopy, and guinea pig and primate inoculation did not reveal a causative microorganism. Febrile illnesses in guinea pigs inoculated with a skin biopsy specimen should not be further passaged.
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006254:Hawaii; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008206:Lymphatic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications