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Erythromycin effectively prevented Bordetella pertussis (whooping cough) infection and disease in exposed infants. This study supports erythromycin
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
Background:
- Bordetella pertussis causes whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory infection.
- Infants, particularly neonates, are highly susceptible to pertussis and its complications.
Abstract:
A neonate admitted to the newborn nursery was found to have bacteriologically proven Bordetella pertussis whooping cough, and two of seven infants exposed to this child became infected. Erythromycin administration to the seven infants apparently prevented further infection as well as the appearance of clinical disease in the two infected infants. This limited experience supports previous reports of the efficacy of erythromycin in preventing B. pertussis infection and disease in susceptible children.