Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection (Aug 2021)

Effectiveness of rapid multiplex polymerase chain reaction for early diagnosis and treatment of pertussis

  • Se Chang Oh,
  • Soo Min Park,
  • Jian Hur,
  • Eun Young Choi,
  • Hyun Jung Jin,
  • Yu Kyung Kim,
  • Jong Ho Lee,
  • Ji Young Ahn,
  • Jae Min Lee

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 54, no. 4
pp. 687 – 692

Abstract

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Background: Pertussis, is an infectious respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. The incidence of pertussis has been increasing in South Korea to due to waning vaccine-induced immunity. Culture has a low sensitivity and a long turnaround time (TAT). Recently, a rapid multi-polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) test with a TAT of about 1 h was developed for the detection of respiratory pathogens (17 viruses and three bacteria), including B. pertussis. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mPCR for early diagnosis and treatment of pertussis. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of patients with pertussis diagnosed from May 2017 to June 2019 at a university hospital in South Korea. Nasopharyngeal swab specimens were tested using mPCR. Data were extracted from medical records. Results: A total of 27 patients with a median age of 48.9 years (range: 3.3–82.2 years) were diagnosed with pertussis, of whom 9 (33.3%) were male. Eleven (40.7%) had fever, 12 (44.4%) had dyspnea, three (11.1%) had paroxysmal cough, and nine (33.3%) had inspiratory whooping. The median interval from symptom onset to diagnosis was 9.0 days (range: 1–31 days). Twenty-four patients (81.5%) were diagnosed within 2 weeks from symptom onset. All but one patient was prescribed macrolide antibiotics. Twenty-two patients (81.5%) required hospitalization, including three (11.1%) who required intensive care unit care for ventilation. Conclusion: Testing patients with respiratory symptoms using mPCR can improve early diagnosis of pertussis, ensure proper treatment, and may help with outbreak control.

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