ABSTRACT

Pertussis is an acute, contagious respiratory infection characterized by paroxysmal coughing episodes. The most important and severe complication in infants is respiratory failure due to pneumonia. We report the case of a 3-month-old infant without any immunization who presented with cough, whooping and cyanosis, and developed pneumonia on the second day and a leukemoid reaction on the sixth day of admission. The relation between pneumonia and mortality, especially in infants, and the prognostic impact of a leukemoid reaction are emphasized.