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Bordetella pertussis strain variation and evolution postvaccination

Teemu Kallonen1, Qiushui He

  • 1Department of Infectious Disease Surveillance & Control, National Institute for Health & Welfare (THL), Turku, Finland. teemu.kallonen@thl.fi

Expert Review of Vaccines
|June 23, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Bordetella pertussis (whooping cough) strains are evolving, with changes observed in vaccinated populations. This review examines B. pertussis strain variation and typing methods amid rising pertussis incidence.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Bordetella pertussis causes whooping cough, with increasing incidence in infants, adolescents, and adults.
  • Vaccination programs have been extensively used globally, yet pertussis cases persist and rise.
  • Significant genetic and phenotypic variations in B. pertussis strains have been noted, differing from vaccine strains.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review strain variation and evolution of B. pertussis in vaccinated populations.
  • To summarize common B. pertussis typing methods and assess their discriminatory power.
  • To understand the impact of vaccination on B. pertussis population dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on B. pertussis evolution and epidemiology.
  • Analysis of data on B. pertussis strain variation and genetic diversity.
  • Comparison of various B. pertussis typing techniques (e.g., MLST, WGS).

Main Results:

  • Clonal expansion of specific B. pertussis strains is linked to recent European pertussis epidemics.
  • Differences between vaccine strains and currently circulating B. pertussis isolates are evident.
  • Strain variation impacts the effectiveness of current pertussis vaccines.

Conclusions:

  • Bordetella pertussis is evolving, necessitating ongoing surveillance and potentially updated vaccine strategies.
  • Understanding strain diversity is crucial for controlling pertussis outbreaks.
  • Effective typing methods are essential for tracking B. pertussis evolution and guiding public health interventions.

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