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[Epidemiology and clinical study of Bordetella pertussis in Gran Canaria Island, Spain, in the period 2003-2007].

OBJECTIVE
To describe the epidemiological and clinical pattern of a Bordetella pertussis infection (whooping cough) among hospitalised infants in a paediatric hospital in Gran Canaria island (Spain).


METHODS
A retrospective review of the patient hospital records was performed considering only those with a microbiological diagnosis of pertussis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the period September 2003-September 2007.


RESULTS
Forty nine patients were identified, of which 47 were < 6 months of age. The annual incidence of hospitalisation was estimated between 103.9 and 204.5 cases per 100,000 infants < 12 months old. Household members were the potential source of infection in at least 65.3 % of the cases. Clinical data were obtained from 47 patients. Complications occurred in 23.4 % of the patients (11 infants), three of them died (6.4 %). Viral coinfections occurred in 33.3 % of the infants diagnosed with pertussis.


CONCLUSIONS
Pertussis presents a high complication rate among infants < 6 months old. Pertussis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of infants < 6 months old who present with severe pneumonia. Immunization strategies in the adult population must be reviewed and updated in order to attain higher protection of the more vulnerable paediatric population.