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Bordetella pertussis infection in a child with completed primary immunization: A case report

Ananda Giri Shankar1, Alan Lee, Harish Reddy

  • 1Consultant in communicable disease control; Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire; Health Protection Unit; The Health Protection Agency; Norfolk, UK.

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics
|January 8, 2013
PubMed

Insights

A preterm infant with completed immunizations contracted pertussis (whooping cough). This case highlights the need for clinical awareness of pertussis in vaccinated infants, especially premature ones.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Pertussis (whooping cough) is a highly contagious respiratory infection.
  • Vaccination is the primary method of prevention.
  • Recent increases in pertussis cases have been observed in the UK.

Observation:

  • A 20-month-old male infant, born prematurely at 31 weeks, presented with cough and fever.
  • The infant had a history of post-tussive vomiting.
  • Bordetella pertussis was isolated from a nasopharyngeal swab.

Findings:

  • The infant had received a complete course of primary immunization against pertussis.
  • Despite vaccination, the infant contracted pertussis.

Implications:

  • This case underscores the importance of considering pertussis in the differential diagnosis of respiratory illness in vaccinated children.
  • Particular vigilance is warranted in preterm infants, who may have altered immune responses.
  • Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for pertussis, even in fully immunized individuals.

Keywords:
Bordetella PertussisUnited KingdomVaccinationVaccine failureWhooping Cough

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