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Bordetella parapertussis bacteremia: two case reports
Rebecca Wallihan1, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Mario Marcon
1Section of Infectious Diseases, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 43205, USA. rebecca.wallihan@nationwidechildrens.org
Bordetella parapertussis rarely causes invasive disease. This study details two pediatric cases of B. parapertussis bacteremia, highlighting clinical presentation and diagnostic methods.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Bacteriology
- Respiratory infections
Background:
- Bordetella parapertussis is a known cause of pertussis-like illness in children.
- Invasive infections due to B. parapertussis are infrequently reported in medical literature.
- Understanding the spectrum of B. parapertussis infections is crucial for accurate diagnosis and management.
Observation:
- Two pediatric patients presented with B. parapertussis bacteremia.
- The clinical presentation of these invasive cases was documented.
- Methods for isolating B. parapertussis from blood cultures were employed.
Findings:
- B. parapertussis can lead to invasive bloodstream infections in children, although rare.
- Successful isolation techniques for B. parapertussis from clinical specimens were utilized.
- The study contributes to the limited data on invasive B. parapertussis infections.
Implications:
- Clinicians should consider B. parapertussis in the differential diagnosis of severe respiratory and systemic infections in children.
- Enhanced diagnostic approaches may be needed to identify invasive B. parapertussis.
- Further research is warranted to understand the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of invasive B. parapertussis infections.
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