La expresión clínica y epidemiológica actual por tos ferina en un hospital terciario / The clinical expression and current epidemiology of whooping cough in a tertiary hospital

Objetivo: Describir el patrón clínico y epidemiológico de la expresión de tos ferina. Material y métodos: Estudio retrospectivo observacional de pacientes entre 0 y 15 años de edad diagnosticados de infección por Bordetella pertussis entre enero de 2009 y diciembre de 2011 en un hospital terciario de Madrid. Resultados: Se confirmaron microbiológicamente 65 casos, un 46,1% de ellos en menores de 1 año; un 20% de los niños no había recibido ninguna vacuna de B. pertussis, un 77% de ellos debido a que eran menores de 2 meses. El síntoma principal fue la tos paroxística (61,5%), con una media de 11 días de evolución. La radiografía de tórax y el hemograma no ayudaron a esclarecer el diagnóstico. Conclusión: La tos ferina es una enfermedad que cabe considerar en lactantes y adolescentes. Es necesario adoptar determinadas medidas preventivas para disminuir la incidencia de esta patología (AU)

Title: The clinical expression and current epidemiology of whooping cough in a tertiary hospital Objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological pattern of expression of pertussis. Methods: Retrospective observational study of patients between 0 and 15 years of age diagnosed with infection by Bordetella pertussis between January 2009 and December 2011 in a tertiary hospital in Madrid. Results: 65 cases were confirmed microbiologically, 46.1% of them in children under 1 year; 20% of children had received no vaccine for B. pertussis, 77% of them were under 2 months old. The main symptom was ther paroxistical cough (61.5%), with 11 days of average evolution. Chest X ray and blood test didn’t help to find out the diagnosis. Conclusion: Pertussis is a disease to be considered in infants and adolescents. It is necessary to perform certain preventive attitudes to reduce the incidence of this disease (AU)

[Correlation of skin tests and the production of gamma-interferon in leprosy patients]. / Correlação entre testes cutâneos e produção de Y-IFN en pacientes com hanseníase.

The responsiveness of 25 leprosy patients to an in vitro correlate of cell-mediated immunity to M. leprae antigen, (the production of Y-IFN by peripheral blood mononuclear cells) was compared to their response to skin tests routinely used to evaluate cell-mediated immunity to a number of antigens including M. leprae. The results indicate that among the polar lepromatous patients (LL) there was a clear correlation between low responses in the in vitro assay (Y-IFN production), negative skin test to the specific antigen (Mitsuda reaction) and low responses to skin tests to a related antigen (PPD). There was no correlation in the other clinical groups with skin tests to other unrelated antigens.