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Pertussis (Bordetella pertussis) (Whooping
Cough)
1996 Case Definition
Clinical case definition
A cough illness lasting greater than or equal to
2 weeks with one of the following: paroxysms of coughing, inspiratory “whoop,”or
post-tussive vomiting, without other apparent cause
Laboratory criteria for diagnosis
- Isolation of Bordetella pertussis
from clinical specimen or
- Positive polymerase chain reaction for B.
pertussis
Case classification
Probable: a case
that meets the clinical case definition, is not laboratory confirmed,
and is not epidemiologically linked to a laboratory-confirmed
case
Confirmed: a case that is laboratory confirmed
or one that meets the clinical case definition and is either
laboratory confirmed or epidemiologically linked to a laboratory-confirmed
case
Comment
The clinical case definition is appropriate for
endemic or sporadic cases. In outbreak settings, a case may be
defined as a cough illness lasting greater than or equal to 2
weeks. Because some studies have documented that direct fluorescent
antibody testing of nasopharyngeal secretions has low sensitivity
and variable specificity, it should not be relied on as a criterion
for laboratory confirmation (9,10). Serologic testing for pertussis
is available in some areas but is not standardized and, therefore,
should not be relied on as a criterion for laboratory confirmation
for national reporting purposes. Both probable and confirmed
cases should be reported to NNDSS.
References
9. Broome CV, Fraser DW, English
WJ. Pertussis--diagnostic methods and surveillance. In: Manclark CR, Hill JC,
eds. International Symposium on Pertussis. Bethesda, MD: US Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, National Institutes
of Health, 1979; DHEW publication no. (NIH)79-1830:19-22.
10. Halperin SA, Bortolussi R, Wort AJ. Evaluation of culture, immunofluorescence, and
serology for the diagnosis of pertussis. J Clin Microbiol 1989;27:752-7.
See also:
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