Whooping cough is a highly communicable, vaccine-preventable disease that lasts for many weeks, presenting high morbidity and a great mortality in some countries; most deaths occur among unvaccinated children.

It is typically manifested in children with paroxysmal spasms of severe coughing, whooping, and post-tussive vomiting. Complications include hypoxia, apnea, pneumonia, seizures, encephalopathy, and malnutrition.

It is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, a small Gram-negative aerobic coccobacillus, which colonizes the cilia of the mammalian respiratory epithelium. Contagion occurs through direct contact with respiratory discharges from infected persons.

The test is based on the detection of insertion sequences (IS) which are not completely specific of a single specie (Table 1). IS are present in numerous copies in the bacterial genome improving the sensitivity of the assay and the double target strategy improves the specificity for the detection of Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis.

Key Features

• 4 targets Multiplex PCR detection- one single reaction tube per sample
• Endogenous human RNAse P control for monitoring the carry-over of amplification inhibitors, sample integrity and the correct amplification set-up.
• Suitable for 4-channel qPCR cyclers.
• Fast and reliable results in under 2 hours.
• Lyophilized master mix and positive control to ensure stability and reduce transportation costs.