ABSTRACT

With the more frequent use of molecular diagnostic methodsin recent years, it has been shown that enteroviruses are an important factor in patients with lower respiratory tract infection. A two-month-old male patient has admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit with the preliminary diagnosis of respiratory distress and acute bronchiolitis. He was tachypneic and dyspneic with whooping cough. Respiratory distress didn't regress despite the support of noninvasive mechanical ventilation. He was intubated and mechanical ventilatory support was started. First, right then left pneumothorax occurred on the second day of hospitalization. His blood and tracheal aspirate cultures were negative and enterovirus was detected positive in the nasal swab polymerase chain reaction for pertussis and the other viral agents. It should not be forgotten that enteroviruses can cause severe acute bronchiolitis and it can be complicated with pneumothorax by mimicking the pertussis clinic.