Modeling the effect of oxidative stress on Bordetella pertussis fermentations

A mathematical model is proposed for Bordetella pertussis with the main goal to better understand and describe the relation between cell growth, oxidative stress and NADPH levels under different oxidative conditions. The model is validated with flask experiments conducted under different conditions of oxidative stress induced by high initial glutamate concentrations, low initial inoculum and secondary culturing following exposure to starvation. The model exhibited good accuracy when calibrated and validated for the different experimental conditions. From comparisons of model predictions to data with different model mechanisms, it was concluded that intracellular reactive oxidative species only have an indirect effect on growth rate by reacting with NADPH and thereby reducing the amount of NADPH that is available for growth.