We report pertussis cases in 4 infants less than 6 months admitted with symptoms compatible with pertussis to the intensive care unit of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome, April 2014. Realtime PCR confirmed pertussis diagnosis for the 4 infants, 2 of them were cousins, and for the household contacts of 1 of them. Analysis of pertussis toxin, its promoter and pertactin was also performed. First of all, this report emphasizes the need to investigate household contact of infants with pertussis; secondly, to evaluate the selective vaccination of household members of newborns as an effective program to reduce pertussis in infants.
Keywords: Italy; household contacts; infant; pertussis; prn, pertactin; ptxA, subunit S1 of the pertussis toxin; ptxP, promoter of the pertussis toxin gene; vaccine.