Kawasaki syndrome: a controlled study of an outbreak in Wisconsin

The etiology of Kawasaki syndrome remains unestablished, although a possible role has been suggested for exposure to the application of carpet shampoo, house dust mites, and rickettsial infection. During an outbreak of 20 cases of Kawasaki syndrome that occurred in southeastern Wisconsin from November 1982 through March 1983, a case-control study was done of 15 cases and 30 matched controls. The study included questionnaire administration, dust collection from homes, and serum specimen collection. Only one patient had been exposed to a shampooed carpet within 30 days before onset of illness. No differences were noted between cases and controls in the degree of exposure to house dust mite-associated factors in the home, nor in the occurrence, density and species-specific prevalence of house dust mites in the home. Meadow voles exposed to house dust mites from the homes of patients did not develop serologic or pathologic evidence of infection due to rickettsiae in the spotted fever and typhus groups or Coxiella burnetii. Anti-mite-specific immunoglobulin E was not detected in serum specimens from cases or controls. Results from this study do not support hypotheses suggesting that the development of Kawasaki syndrome is associated with exposure to application of carpet shampoo, house dust mites, or rickettsial infection.