ArticlePloS one2019
Pertussis clinical case definition: Time for change in developing countries?
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- A controlled human infection model for symptomatic pertussis in North America using the pertactin-producing clinical isolate D420.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Comparing Respiratory Illness Surveillance Case Definitions to Detect Bordetella pertussis in Children Aged <5 Years With Respiratory Illness in South Africa, 2017-2023.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Development and validation of a diagnostic prediction model for children with pertussis.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- A pangenome approach-based loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for the specific and early detection of Bordetella pertussis.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Diagnostic limitations of clinical case definitions of pertussis in infants and children with severe lower respiratory tract infection.PloS one · 2020Article
- Article
- A data driven clinical algorithm for differential diagnosis of pertussis and other respiratory infections in infants.PloS one · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
backgroundDeveloping countries still struggle with late detection and mortality from pertussis. A review of clinical case definitions is necessary for early disease detection. This paper aimed to study possible clinical characteristics for earlier pertussis detection in a sporadic setting.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective review of medical and laboratory records in a general paediatric ward of a district hospital in a developing country. Inclusion criteria were all children hospitalised with nasopharyngeal swab taken for Bordetella pertussis. We compared sensitivity and specificity of World Health Organization diagnostic criteria with other clinical characteristics. Polymerase chain reaction Bordetella pertussis was the gold standard used.
resultsOut of 207 eligible admissions, the study retrieved 128 complete records. Approximately half of the children were less than 3 months old. The World Health Organization diagnostic criteria had a low sensitivity (15%), but high specificity (92%). In comparison, combinations that included paroxysmal cough, ill contact and facial congestion had higher sensitivity. Increasing cough duration improved specificity while compromising sensitivity.
conclusionSeveral clinical characteristics such as paroxysmal cough, facial congestion and a history of ill contact have potential for early clinical detection. Conventional emphasis on cough duration may hamper early detection.
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