Bordetella pertussis pilin and pilin-like genes

Bordetella pertussis fimbriae, which mediate the adherence of the microorganism to the epithelium of the respiratory tract, elicit a protective immunogenic response which could be taken advantage of for the creation of an acellular vaccine against pertussis. A few of the fimbrial proteins have been partially characterized by immunological means which recently the cloning and characterization of pilin and pilin-like genes are allowing us to study their structure, regulation of expression during the infectious cycle of Bordetella pertussis, and the basis for antigenic variation. In this communication we will review recent data on Bordetella pertussis pilin and pilin-like genes and their products, with particular emphasis on data most relevant to the design of an acellular vaccine.