Despite high coverage of vaccinations, incidence of pertussis (whooping cough) has been increasing throughout the world and large outbreaks were reported in several countries. Adolescents and adults with atypical pertussis symptoms have become the main sources of infants′ pertussis. Since clinicians are lack of experience in making diagnosis based on atypical symptoms, laboratory methods are needed. The currently recommended laboratory methods include bacterial culture, PCR and serology ELISA. It is well known that sensitivity and specificity of the above-mentioned methods may vary depending on many factors such as status of vaccination, timing of specimen collection and onset of symptoms. Serology ELISA to measure specific anti-pertussis toxin IgG antibodies in serum has been proven to be one suitable method for the diagnosis of pertussis infection in adolescents and adults. In this review, we summarize the current status of methods used in China and other countries for the laboratory diagnosis of pertussis and discuss the clinical relevance of serology ELISA for pertussis diagnosis.

Pertussis; Laboratory diagnosis; Serological diagnosis; Diagnostic standards