When Whooping cough is complicated by encephalitis/Encephalopathy in infants

Abstract

Pertussis is a common infection. However, encephalitis/encephalopathy is a rare and severe complication of Whooping cough. In this article, we report two Tunisian cases of encephalitis/encephalopathy complicating a pertussis. Case 1: A 6-week-old infant was admitted for dyspnea and cough. Pertussis was confirmed by PCR on nasopharyngeal swab. Three weeks later, the child presented a poor mental response and seizures. The diagnosis of encephalitis was made after having a positive cerebrospinal fluid PCR for Bordetella pertussis. The patient was treated by intravenous erythromycin and made an uncomplicated recovery. Case 2: A 3-week-old female infant admitted for dyspnea with a paroxysmal cyanogenic cough. Pertussis was suspected. Real-time PCRs for Bordetella pertussis genome on nasopharyngeal aspirates and CSF were positive. The patient was treated with intravenous erythromycin, but the outcome was fatal. Conclusion: These cases draw attention to severe encephalitis secondary to pertussis, a pathology preventable by vaccination.