Respiratory disease outbreaks not whooping cough
NEW YORK, Aug 24 (Reuters) In a new report, researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and elsewhere describe three recent outbreaks of respiratory illness that were incorrectly attributed to pertussis, also known as whooping cough.
The current study findings underscore the importance of confirming that whooping cough is the cause of a disease outbreak, particularly when the clinical and laboratory findings do not match those of a typically outbreak, the authors emphasize in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released yesterday.
The investigators describe two hospital outbreaks that occurred in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and one community outbreak in Tennessee, which occurred between 2004 and 2006.
In all three outbreaks, which together involved more than 2,000 patients, the results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test suggested pertussis as the cause. However, follow-up investigations revealed that laboratory results were often negative or equivocal and that the epidemiologic and clinical features of the outbreaks did not match the typical pertussis profile.
The results illustrate the pitfalls of relying solely on PCR testing for confirming a pertussis diagnosis, according to the report. While PCR testing can provide vital information when there is strong supporting evidence and when timely treatment is critical, over-reliance on this measure can lead to unnecessary, costly control measures.
The CDC recommends timely collection and testing of throat culture specimens in at least some of the people involved in an outbreak to confirm that whooping cough is, in fact, responsible for the outbreak.
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