A countywide outbreak of pertussis: initial transmission in a high school weight room with subsequent substantial impact on adolescents and adults.

Objective: To describe a large communitywide pertussis outbreak where aggressive diagnostic and treatment measures were used to control the outbreak.

Design: Retrospective analysis, May 2003 through February 2004.

Setting: Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin (population 98,882).

Evaluation of polymerase chain reaction and culture for diagnosis of pertussis in the control of a county-wide outbreak focused among adolescents and adults.

During a large pertussis outbreak, culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to identify 149 case patients; of these case patients, 79 had positive PCR and culture results, 59 had positive PCR results and negative culture results, 11 had negative PCR results and positive culture results (10 PCR-negative, culture-positive specimens were collected < or = 14 days after illness onset). PCR and culture of samples obtained < or = 2 weeks after illness onset and PCR of samples obtained > 2 weeks after illness onset proved to be most diagnostically useful.

A pertussis outbreak in a Wisconsin nursing home.

The epidemiologic features and clinical spectrum of pertussis in the elderly are poorly understood. In October 1985, the Wisconsin Division of Health investigated an outbreak of pertussis in residents of a nursing home in rural Wisconsin. Clinical information and nasopharyngeal swab and acute- and convalescent-phase serum specimens were obtained from all consenting residents and employees.

Perceptions of freshman medical students of gender differences in medical specialty choice.

At present, it is not clear whether or not the choices of specialty areas by male and female medical students are converging. Historically, women have selected specialty areas with high patient contact. In the study reported here, the authors address whether or not there are differences in perceived specialty choice among the newest entrants into medicine.