title: Recovery of Bordetella pertussis from PCR-positive nasopharyngeal samples is dependent on bacterial load.
abstract: Viable Bordetella pertussis isolates are essential for surveillance purposes. We performed culture of 223 PCR-positive nasopharyngeal samples. B. pertussis was recovered from 45 (20.2%) of the samples. Growth was associated with a high bacterial load, as determined by PCR. Culture from PCR-positive samples is a feasible approach to recover B. pertussis isolates, and culture can be limited to samples with a high bacterial load.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. didrik.frimann.vestrheim@fhi.no
authors.forename: Didrik F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Vestrheim
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steinbakk
authors.forename: Martha L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bjørnstad
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moghaddam
authors.forename: Nils
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Reinton
authors.forename: Mette L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Dahl
authors.forename: Nils
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Grude
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sandven
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D058491:Bacterial Load; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D001886:Bordetella pertussis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D055815:Young Adult