Occurrence Of Cases Of Whooping Cough In The Family. Mar Del Plata, 2011

Abstract

Pertussis or whooping cough is a highly contagious acute disease of respiratory tract mainly produced by Bordetella pertussis. It is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in childhood. This disease is not always clinically evident in adults. The aim of this study was to describe the occurrence of cases of pertussis in the city of Mar del Plata. It consisted in an epidemiological-retrospective study of household contact of an confirmed case of pertussis in an infant. It was analyzed the clinical-epidemiological characteristics and laboratory findings of the household contacts that were classified as cases confirmed by epidemiological link. Laboratory studies were performed by culture and PCR in respiratory samples. For the household contacts, also it was used serology by ELISA technique for detection of total antibodies anti-Bordetella spp. Of the study it could be inferred that the likely source of infection to the infant was part of the family. In this way highlights the importance of suspect and diagnose this disease in adults and adolescent patients. The role of the family in the transmission of the disease, leads to prioritize protection strategies for the most vulnerable to the disease, such as vaccination during pregnancy, implemented in Argentina from the year 2012.

Keywords

• Bordetella pertussis
• whooping cough
• household contact
• surveillance