Bordetella pertussis, an agent not to forget: a case report

Bordetella pertussis: An agent not to be forgotten in Qatar

BACKGROUND

Pertussis (whooping cough) is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis that is spread by airborne respiratory droplets. Clinical symptoms vary from infants to adults and are most contagious before the onset of symptoms. Infants are at the highest risk of infection, especially before they are old enough to receive at least two doses of pertussis-containing vaccine. There have been no indigenous cases of pertussis in Qatar since 2010 until 2018, due to free pertussis-containing vaccines under the National Immunization Schedule of Qatar, with coverage consistently above 95%. Two cases were reported in 2016 but were found to be imported. In 2019, 20 infants were reported as suspected pertussis to the Health Promotion and Communicable Disease Control (HP-CDC), Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), Qatar; of them, five were laboratory confirmed as pertussis.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to describe the five confirmed cases of pertussis reported to HP-CDC, MOPH, Qatar, between January 1 and December 30, 2019. Summary of Cases: All five confirmed pertussis cases were under one year old, and three were boys. All except one were immunized-for-age, and three had not received any doses of pertussis-containing vaccine and in none of the cases had the mother received tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine during pregnancy. All infants were born in Qatar, and two were Qatari nationals.

CONCLUSION

There may be a possibility of re-emergence of pertussis in Qatar. Active immunization and coverage maintenance are the best tools to prevent re-emergence. Undiagnosed and untreated pertussis cases are potential sources of infection. The partial or unimmunized groups may be significantly at risk, especially during infancy and before reaching the age to complete the three primary doses of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines. Focus on increasing awareness among those providing antenatal care, regarding the importance of Tdap vaccination during pregnancy, is necessary.

Infectious Disease Report: Bordetella pertussis Infection in Patients With Cancer

We illustrate 2 cases of pneumonia associated with Bordetella pertussis infection in 72-year-old and 61-year-old patients with cancer receiving myelosuppressive therapy after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Bacterial infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer, and those receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplant, solid organ transplant, or myelosuppressive therapy are at increased risk. The infection was detected and the 2 patients had good outcomes following azithromycin treatment. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a contagious respiratory illness that has become a public health challenge due to decreased immunity of the pertussis vaccine. Therefore, it is critical to recognize pertussis early in the course of the disease.