Molecular diagnosis of Bordetella pertussis infection by evaluation of formalin-fixed tissue specimens

Abstract

Formalin-fixed lung or trachea tissue specimens from four infants and one adolescent who died of respiratory illness were tested for Bordetella pertussis by conventional and real-time PCR assays. B. pertussis was confirmed in all cases. PCR can be an invaluable retrospective diagnostic tool for evaluating archival tissues from patients with suspected fatal pertussis.