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Chapter 16: Pertussis

Author/s: 
Hamborsky, Jennifer, Kroger, Andrew, Wolfe, Charles S.
Date Added: 
December 7, 2018
Journal/Publication: 
Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, aka "Pink Book"
Publisher: 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Publication Date: 
January 1, 2015
Pages: 
261-278
URL: 
Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Type: 
Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines, Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines
Keywords 
whooping cough
vaccination
antibiotics
MeSH 
bordetella pertussis
whooping cough
pertussis vaccine
macrolides
trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole drug combination

RPR Commentary

This is a chapter on Bordetella pertussis from the Pink Book on infectious diseases.  Several key points regarding pertussis in adults:

  1. Immunization is not 100% effective but usually diminishes disease severity
  2. In immunized adults, pertussis causes URI symptoms plus cough that can last for weeks
  3. Antibiotics (macrolides or Bactrim) reduce contagion but have little effect on symptoms

Abstract

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is an acute infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Outbreaks of pertussis were first described in the 16th century, and the organism was first isolated in 1906.

In the 20th century, pertussis was one of the most common childhood diseases and a major cause of childhood mortality in the United States. Before the availability of pertussis vaccine in the 1940s, more than 200,000 cases of pertussis were reported annually. Since widespread use of the vaccine began, incidence has decreased more than 80% compared with the prevaccine era.

Pertussis remains a major health problem among children in developing countries, with 195,000 deaths resulting from the disease in 2008 (World Health Organization estimate).

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