Transmission of Bordetella holmesii during pertussis outbreak, Japan

Simple and specific detection of Bordetella holmesii by using a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay

A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for simple detection of Bordetella holmesii was developed. This assay discriminates between B. holmesii and other Bordetella species and successfully detect B. holmesii DNA in nasopharyngeal swab samples from subjects with suspected pertussis. The LAMP assay results were in complete agreement with the results of previously published real-time PCR assay, indicating that the former is a powerful tool for the accurate diagnosis and surveillance of B. holmesii.

Bronchitis caused by Bordetella holmesii in a child with asthma misdiagnosed as mycoplasmal infection

We report a case of a bronchitis caused by Bordetella holmesii in a 2-year-old girl with asthma. The patient had a moderate fever and productive cough, and her condition was initially diagnosed as mycoplasmal bronchitis on the basis of her clinical symptoms and rapid serodiagnosis of mycoplasmal infection. She was treated with a bronchodilator and clarithromycin, which resulted in complete recovery. However, after the initial diagnosis, nucleic acid amplification tests of her sputum showed the absence of both Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Bordetella pertussis infections. Sputum culture showed the presence of a slow-growing, gram-negative bacillus in pure culture on Bordetella agar plates; the bacillus was later identified as B. holmesii. B. holmesii infection is rare in immunocompetent children; however, the organism is a true pathogen that can cause bronchitis in young children with asthma.