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Dual infection with Bordetella pertussis and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in three infants: case reports

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Abstract

Studying pertussis-like respiratory infections, we report the cases of three infants with evidence of both Bordetella pertussis and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Bordetella infection was identified by the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of nasopharyngeal specimens. Neither B. pertussis nor B. parapertussis were recovered on the culture of nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) from any subjects. M. pneumoniae etiology was diagnosed by culture and RT-PCR. The evolution was fatal for all of the subjects. We conclude that, among patients with Bordetella infection, co-infection with another respiratory pathogen is often probable, and these mixed infections might cause a more severe form of illness, sometimes leading to death.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks go to the medical staff involved in the management of these cases and to Florens G.A. Versteegh, MD, PhD, pediatrician at the Groene Hart Ziekenhuis, Gouda, The Netherlands, for reviewing the original manuscript.

Conflict of interest

No conflicts of interests. No financial support was required for the present study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Microbiology, Children’s Hospital of Tunis, Bab Sâadoun, 1007, Tunis, Tunisia

    A. Zouari, H. Smaoui & A. Kechrid

  2. Laboratory Unit, Bone Marrow Transplant Centre, 1006, Tunis, Tunisia

    A. Touati & E. Ben Hassen

  3. Molecular Prevention and Therapy of Human Diseases, Pasteur Institute, Paris, France

    D. Brun & N. Guiso

  4. URA CNRS, 3012, Paris, France

    D. Brun & N. Guiso

  5. Department of Pediatric Medicine A, Children’s Hospital of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia

    K. Kasdaghli

  6. Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Children’s Hospital of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia

    K. Menif & N. Ben Jaballah

Authors
  1. A. Zouari
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  2. A. Touati
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  3. H. Smaoui
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  4. D. Brun
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  5. K. Kasdaghli
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  6. K. Menif
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  7. N. Ben Jaballah
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  8. E. Ben Hassen
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  9. N. Guiso
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  10. A. Kechrid
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Zouari.

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Zouari, A., Touati, A., Smaoui, H. et al. Dual infection with Bordetella pertussis and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in three infants: case reports. Infection 40, 213–217 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-011-0179-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-011-0179-4

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