In the pertussis there is an incubation period (1-2 weeks), a catarrhal stage (inflammation of the mucous breathing), a period characterized by cough’s paroxysms (caused by the toxin) and a decline period.
Serious complications are normally among children, and they include hypoxia, apnea, pneumonia, encephalopathy, etc.
Epidemiology
The pertussis is an high contagious disease, which normally damage children. Recent studies demonstrated how the infection is not just bounded in children, but it can damage even youth, adults and old people, often with atypical or soft clinical manifestations.
The transmission happens through direct contact with mucous of the breathing tract of infected people. Since the pertussis is an highly contagious disease, it’s thought that up to the 90% of people, which are at strict contact to an infected person, develop the illness.
By the introduction in the 50s of the vaccination (it’s just a partial protection which gradually decreases) the effect in serious cases has decreased. Anyway, young people and adults become susceptible to develop a disease when immunity decreases.
Test
The amplification by means of PCR (for Bordetella pertussis in the regulatory region of the gene for the toxin and for Bordetella parapertussis of IS 1001) allows a highly specific dating and a good sensibility of Bordetella parapertussis and pertussis in clinical samples.
Sample taking
Nasopharyngeal swab or secretion, sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage.
