Prolonged survival of Bordetella pertussis in a simple buffer after nasopharyngeal secretion aspiration

Abstract

A simple method for recovery of Bordetella pertussis is described using phosphate-buffered saline containing a casein hydrolysate for transporting secretions collected by nasopharyngeal aspirate. Bordetella pertussis was reisolated from 92% of clinical specimens held at 4 °C for 1 week and from all specimens held at −20 °C. This method will facilitate the centralization of laboratory facilities for the diagnosis of pertussis. Key words: Bordetella pertussis, specimen transport, nasopharyngeal secretions.