title: High frequency of pertussis in older children and adolescents with prolonged cough in Turkey.
abstract: This study aimed to determine the frequency of B. pertussis infection among Turkish children with prolonged cough. Nasopharyngeal specimens were collected from 7-18 year old children, presenting with prolonged cough of two to four weeks' duration. Specimens were examined for B. pertussis by PCR. Of 101 children with prolonged cough, 20 (19.8%) had a positive PCR testing for B. pertussis. Children who were vaccinated ≥5 years previously had a 6.13-fold higher risk of PCR-confirmed pertussis than those who were vaccinated < 5 years before. The classic symptoms of pertussis (paroxysmal cough, whooping and post-tussive vomiting) were seen in 30%, 15% and 25% of the patients with positive PCR, respectively; 55% of them had only a prolonged cough without any classic symptoms. Pertussis is common among Turkish children with prolonged cough, even after implementation of a fifth dose of pertussis vaccination and despite high vaccination coverage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aslı
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aslan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zafer
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kurugöl
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Şöhret
authors.initials: Ş
authors.lastname: Aydemir
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Derya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gürsel
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Güldane
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koturoğlu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001886:Bordetella pertussis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002648:Child; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014611:Vaccination; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Turkey; adolescents; pertussis; prolonged cough; real-time polymerase chain reaction