Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious acute respiratory infection, caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The disease is characterised by a severe cough, which can last two months or even longer.
Pertussis is an endemic disease in the EU/EEA and worldwide. Every three to five years, larger epidemics are expected even with high vaccination coverage.
This guidance document includes an updated summary of diagnostic PCR and serology together with detailed information on isolation, culture, identification and epidemiological typing of B. pertussis to help users choose the best methods within the local technical and financial provisions.
ECDC promotes the performance of external quality assessment (EQA) schemes, in which laboratories are sent simulated clinical specimens or bacterial isolates for testing by routine or reference laboratory methods. EQA schemes, or laboratory proficiency testing, provide information about the accuracy of different characterisation and typing methods as well as antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and the sensitivity of the methods in place to detect a certain pathogen or novel resistance patterns.
This report presents the outcomes of a technical workshop, organised by ECDC, to seek a consensus on a common strategy to reduce the public health burden caused by pertussis in the EU/EEA countries.
This report presents the results of the first external quality assurance (EQA) scheme for B. pertussis antimicrobial susceptibility testing by ECDC as part of the European Reference Laboratory Network for Pertussis (ERLNPert-Net) consortium.