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Pertussis

Pertussis, also known as "whooping cough," is a highly contagious disease that is one of the leading causes of vaccine-preventable deaths. There are 30–50 million cases per year, and about 300,000 deaths per year. Virtually all deaths occur in children under one year of age. Ninety percent of all cases occur in developing countries. It is caused by certain species of the bacterium Bordetella—usually B. pertussis, but some cases are caused by B. parapertussis. more...

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Medicines

The disease was recognizably described as early as 1578 by Guillaume de Baillou (1538-1616), but earlier reports date back at least to the 12th century. B. pertussis was isolated in pure culture in 1906 by Jules Bordet and Octave Gengou. The complete B. pertussis genome of 4,086,186 base pairs was sequenced in 2002.

Characterization

The disease is characterized initially by mild respiratory infection symptoms such as cough, sneezing, and runny nose. After one to two weeks the cough changes character, with paroxysms of coughing followed by an inspiratory "whooping" sound. Coughing fits may be followed by vomiting not necessarily due to nausea but due to the sheer violence of the fit itself, which in severe cases leads to malnutrition. The fits, that do occur on their own, can also be triggered by yawning, stretching, laughing, or yelling. Coughing fits gradually diminish over one to two months. Other complications of the disease include pneumonia, encephalitis, pulmonary hypertension, and secondary bacterial superinfection.

Transmission

The disease is spread by contact with airborne discharges from the mucous membranes of infected people. Laboratory diagnosis include; Calcium alginate throat swab, culture on Bordet-Gengou medium, immunofluorescence and serological methods. Treatment of the disease with antibiotics (often erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) results in the person becoming less infectious but probably does not significantly alter the outcome of the disease. Close contacts who receive appropriate antibiotics, "chemoprophylaxis", during the 7–21 day incubation period may be protected from developing symptomatic disease.

Vaccines

Pertussis vaccines were initially formulated in 1926—most notable by Dr. Louis W. Sauer of Northwestern University and Evanston Hospital—as whole-cell preparations, but are now available as acellular preparations, which cause fewer side effects. They offer protection for only a few years, and are given so that immunity lasts through childhood, the time of greatest exposure and greatest risk. The immunizations are often given in combination with tetanus and diphtheria immunizations, at ages 2, 4, and 6 months, and later at 15–18 months and 4–6 years. Traditionally, pertussis vaccines are not given after age seven, as the frequency of side effects associated with the immunization tends to increase with age. The most serious side-effects of immunization are neurological: they include seizures and hypotonic episodes. An acellular vaccine preparation for older individuals is available in Canada and Europe, and two such products are being evaluated for their safety in adolescents and adults in the United States; a Food and Drug Administration decision was approved for use of the vaccine for 11-64 year olds in August 2005.

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A Shot in the Dark $6.60 Safety, efficacy of pertussis booster for teens similar to current Vaccines.(Infectious Diseases)(Reduced--antige n content tetanus-diphtheria-acellu lar ... : An article from: Internal Medicine News $5.95
Vaccination not stemming pertussis rise, officials say: need to protect youngest infants.(Infectious Diseases) : An article from: Pediatric News $5.95 Pertussis boosters for adolescents look promising: replacement of Td booster may be in sight.(News) : An article from: Pediatric News $5.95
Pertussis booster for adolescents could decrease susceptibility.(Infectiou s Diseases) : An article from: Internal Medicine News $5.95 Aventis Pasteur's tetanus-diphtheria--acell ular pertussis booster appears safe in teens.(Infectious Diseases) : An article from: Internal Medicine News $5.95
Oregon officials still battling pertussis outbreak that began last spring: vaccination acceleration.(Children's Health) : An article from: Family Practice News $5.95 'Mixing and Matching' Okay for Fifth DTaP Dose.(diptheria-tetanus-a cellular pertussis vaccine)(Brief Article) : An article from: Family Practice News $5.95
Preliminary Data Support Pertussis Booster for Teens. : An article from: Family Practice News $5.95 Fatal case of pertussis in an infant--West Virginia, 2004.(Brief Report) : An article from: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report $5.95

Persistent cough: pertussis rises in young adults and infants
Nearly a century after a pertussis vaccine became available, the disease appears to be rebounding in adolescents and adults, a variety of studies shows.
Food and Drug Administration approval of a fifth acellular pertussis vaccine for use among infants and young children - Notice to Readers - Brief Article
Food and Drug Administration Approval of a Fifth Acellular Pertussis Vaccine for Use Among Infants and Young Children -- United States, 2002 On May ...
Hispanic teen mothers lack pertussis immunity
SAN FRANCISCO -- Low levels of immunity to pertussis in adolescent Hispanic mothers and their newborns may help explain their overrepresentation in pertussis cases and in deaths from the disease, C
Can the use of DTaP produce pertussis antibodies in adults?
Clinical Question: Does the use of a diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) produce pertussis antibodies in adolescents ...
Reemergence of Pertussis in Immunized Populations: A Case Study, The
OBJECTIVE: To present a case of classical pertussis occurring in previously vaccinated male siblings, 11 and 13 years of age, living in El Paso TX; also ...
Pertussis: a disease re-emerges
The incidence of pertussis in the United States (1) declined dramatically after the introduction of pertussis vaccine in the 1940s. Before that, an average of 160,000 cases of pertussis (150/100,00
Changes in predominance and diversity of genomic subtypes of bordetella pertussis isolated in the United States, 1935-1999 - Research
Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of Bordetella pertussis chromosomal DNA fragments generated by Xbal restriction has been used to subtype isolates ...
Update: Supply of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine - Notice to Readers - Brief Article
Diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) remains in short supply, and the shortage will continue into mid-2002 (1). Shortages ...

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