Comparison of culture and real-time PCR for detection of Bordetella pertussis isolated from patients in Iran

Due to contagiousness of pertussis, a rapid and sensitive method for diagnosis is required to initiate the treatment and interrupt its transmission. To detect B. pertussis strains, we used two real-time PCR targeting IS481 and BP283 sequences and compared factors influencing culture and real-time PCR results. Totally, 779 specimens were collected from patients among which 11 (1.4%) were culture positive. Using IS481 and BP283 primers, 122 (15.6%) and 100 (12.8%) were diagnosed as infected specimens respectively. There were significant relationships between the real-time PCR method for diagnosis of B. pertussis and age, sex and vaccination of patients before sampling. The real-time PCR is superior and much more sensitive than culture for diagnosis of B. pertussis. However, the sensitivity was improved when both IS481 and BP283 were used. Correct sampling and transportation of specimen also improved the detection rate in our research.