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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Evaluation of Host-Pathogen Responses and Vaccine Efficacy in Mice
Published on: February 22, 2019
Bordetella pertussis binds human C1 esterase inhibitor during the virulent phase, to evade complement-mediated
Nico Marr1, Rachel A Luu, Rachel C Fernandez
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Abstract:
C1 esterase inhibitor (C1inh) is a major inhibitor of several pathways of inflammation in humans. In this study, we show that virulent-phase cultures of Bordetella pertussis, the etiological agent for whooping cough, but not other Bordetella species specifically recruit C1inh from human serum. Using a spontaneous mutant of B. pertussis that was deficient in C1inh binding, we demonstrate that the ability of B. pertussis to acquire high levels of human C1inh and wild-type levels of serum resistance are well correlated, suggesting that, in addition to and independent of BrkA expression, acquisition of C1inh is vital to B. pertussis resistance to complement-mediated killing.
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