title: Transmission of acute infectious illness among cases of Kawasaki disease and their household members.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Kawasaki disease (KD) is a disease of unknown cause and the causative agent is most likely to be infectious in nature. To investigate the household transmission pattern of infectious illness and etiology, we thus initiated a prospective case and household study.
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled KD cases and their household members from February 2004 to September 2008. The KD cases and their household members accepted questionnaire-based interviews of the contact history, signs of infection, and symptoms to check whether clusters of infectious illness occurred.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 142 KD cases and 561 household members were enrolled. Among the 142 KD cases, 136 cases (96%) were typical KD, and six (4%) were atypical KD. Of the 561 household members, 17% were siblings, 46% were parents, 18% were grandparents, and the others were cousins or babysitters. Prior to the onset of their KD illness, 66% (94/142) KD cases had contact with ill household members. On the same day of the onset of KD cases' illness, 4% (6/142) KD cases had household members with illness. After KD cases' disease onset, 70% (100/142) KD cases had at least one other family member with illness. Overall, 61% (343/561) of all the household members had acute infectious illness during KD cases' acute stage, and 92% (130/142) of the families had clusters of infectious illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A total of 66% KD cases had positive contact with ill household members prior to their disease onset and 92% of families had clusters of infectious illness, so KD is strongly associated with infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsing-Chen
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: ly7077@tpts6.seed.net.tw.
authors.forename: Luan-Yin
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chun-Yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Pei-Lan
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tsui-Yen
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ai-Ling
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Taiwan Adventist Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jen-Jan
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shu-Jen
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Min-Sheng General Hospital, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chien-Chih
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Li-Min
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000635:transmission*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan
keywords: Kawasaki disease; household; transmission