Fast Method of Diagnosis of Pertussis during the Catarrhal Period of the Disease

The fluorescent antibody technique makes it possible to establish the diagnosis of pertussis during the catarrhal period of the disease -- a period in which the disease is particularly difficult to identify -- in less than one hour. This technique is more sensitive than the method of cultivating nasopharyngeal mucus on Bordet-Gengous medium during the catarrhal period 95 compared with 86. However, after this period this technique must always be accompanied by a bacteriological diagnosis which becomes more sensitive after the first week of coughing fits 85 compared with 75.