Molecular diagnosis of whooping cough in children and adults, Paraguay. 2011-2015.

Abstract

Pertussis or whooping cough is a highly contagious acute respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis and particularly severe in children under 1 year, after 60 years of the vaccine have been implemented, although the world produces 30 million cases year with more than 300,000 deaths. It is the third leading cause of death from vaccine-preventable diseases, after measles and neonatal tetanus. To determine the frequency of infection by Bordetella pertussisin children and adults patients by real-time PCR nasopharyngeal samples sent to the Central Laboratory of Public Health for the period 2011 to November 2015. This is a descriptive study of character retrospective and cross-sectional. The population is comprised of all persons, children and adults who attended the various public and private services in Paraguay with clinical suspicion of pertussis or whooping cough and respiratory symptoms during the period from 2011 to 2015 and whose samples were sent to Central Public Health Laboratory. A total of 2351 samples of nasopharyngeal aspirates or swabs from patients from different health regions, Bordetella pertussis detection by real-time PCR, in order to obtain diagnosis were received this disease. The frequency of this disease is 11% (N = 265/2351) in Paraguay, during this study period, predominantly in children under 6 months old female. That the cases predominate in children younger than 6 months (68.3%) suggests that they have not yet received the pentavalent vaccine or who have not yet completed all three doses of the vaccine. Apart from the ten years the effectiveness of the vaccine begins to decay according to the literature and carrying cases are observed.