Kawasaki syndrome. Is exposure to rug shampoo important?

In the winter of 1982-1983, two clusters of cases of Kawasaki syndrome (KS) provided an opportunity to examine further the possible association among KS, antecedent illnesses, and carpet shampooing and related activities. The two clusters involved 16 patients with onsets between October and January, with seven cases occurring in two adjacent counties in New York (Herkimer and Oneida) and nine in Kent County, Michigan. None of the 11 children with KS included in a case-control study had been exposed to shampooed carpets during the month prior to the onset of KS. Only four (36%) of 11 children with KS, compared with 13 (59%) of 22 control subjects, reported a respiratory antecedent illness within 30 days prior to the onset of KS (odds ratio = 0.50, 95% confidence limits = 0.12 to 2.03). The previously observed associations of KS with antecedent respiratory illness and carpet shampooing remain unexplained and undocumented in these outbreaks.