Epidemiological aspects of pertussis among adults and adolescents in a Korean outpatient setting: a multicenter, PCR-based study

• Published in: Journal of Korean medical science Vol. 29; no. 9; pp. 1232 - 1239
• Main Authors: Park, Sunghoon, Lee, Sun Hwa, Seo, Ki-Hyun, Shin, Kyeong-Cheol, Park, Yong Bum, Lee, Myung Goo, Yoo, Kwang Ha, Kim, Hui Jung, Park, Jae Seuk, Cho, Jae Hwa, Ko, Yongchun, Lee, Soo-Keol, Cheon, Ki Tae, Kim, Do Il, Ha, Jun Wook, Lee, Jae-Myung, Suhr, Ji-Won, Jeong, Eui Hun, Jung, Ki-Suck
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences 01.09.2014; 대한의학회
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Bordetella pertussis - genetics; Child; Demography; DNA, Bacterial - analysis; Female; Humans; Incidence; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Odds Ratio; Original; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Republic of Korea - epidemiology; Seasons; Vomiting - etiology; Whooping Cough - epidemiology; Whooping Cough - microbiology; Whooping Cough - pathology; Young Adult; 의학일반; Republic of Korea; Pertussis; Adult; Hospitals; Seasons; Incidence
• ISSN: 1011-8934; 1598-6357
• DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2014.29.9.1232

Epidemiological data of Bordetella pertussis infection among adolescents and adults are limited in Korea. Patients (≥ 11 yr of age) with a bothersome cough for less than 30 days were enrolled during a 1-yr period at 22 hospitals in Korea. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and for bacteriologic culture. In total, 490 patients were finally enrolled, and 34 (6.9%) patients tested positive for B. pertussis; cough duration (14.0 days [7.0-21.0 days]) and age distribution were diverse. The incidence was the highest in secondary referral hospitals, compared to primary care clinics or tertiary referral hospitals (24/226 [10.6%] vs. 3/88 [3.4%] vs. 7/176 [4.0%], P = 0.012), and the peak incidence was observed in February and August (15.8% and 15.9%), with no confirmed cases between March and June. In the multivariate analysis, post-tussive vomiting was significantly associated with pertussis (odds ratio, 2.508; 95% confidence interval, 1.146-5.486) and secondary referral hospital showed a borderline significance. In conclusion, using a PCR-based method, 6.9% of adolescent and adult patients with an acute cough illness had pertussis infection in an outpatient setting. However, hospital levels and seasonal trends must be taken into account to develop a better strategy for controlling pertussis.