[Whooping cough: biological diagnosis].
Whooping cough is a respiratory infection particularly severe for infants. The agents of the disease are the bacteria Bordetella pertussis and B. parapertussis. Before vaccination, the disease affected majority of the children. Due to the high circulation of the bacteria, adolescents and adults were regularly in contact with the bacteria and had natural boosters. Forty years after generalized vaccination in some countries, a change in the transmission of the disease is observed. Children between 2 and 5-10 years of age are not infected (depending of the vaccine used and the vaccine calendar) because they were vaccinated in their infancy. However, adolescents and adults are becoming susceptible because they do not receive any vaccinal or natural boosters. They can be infected and contaminated infants are too young to be vaccinated. Clinical symptoms in adolescents and adults, previously vaccinated or infected, are very variable and for this reason biological diagnosis are now necessary to confirm the infection. These diagnostics are culture, PCR and serology.
Guiso
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Unité des Bordetella, Institut Pasteur, 25, rue du Docteur-Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France. nguiso@pasteur.fr
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012698:Serologic Tests; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine