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Repeated Bordetella pertussis Infections Are Required to Reprogram Acellular Pertussis Vaccine-Primed Host Responses
Parul Kapil1, Yihui Wang1, Lindsey Zimmerman1
1Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|August 11, 2023
Summary
Acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines may not provide lasting immunity, leading to whooping cough resurgence. Multiple infections were needed in baboons to achieve immunity comparable to unvaccinated animals, suggesting a need for improved vaccine strategies.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Vaccinology
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Background:
- The United States has seen a rise in pertussis (whooping cough) cases after the adoption of acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines.
- aP vaccines may fail to establish long-lasting immunity, hindering prevention of infection, carriage, and transmission of Bordetella pertussis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how aP vaccination affects immune responses to pertussis infection.
- To determine if natural infection can modify existing aP-induced immune responses.
Main Methods:
- Researchers repeatedly exposed unvaccinated and aP-vaccinated baboons to Bordetella pertussis.
- Immune responses and infection outcomes were monitored after each exposure.
Main Results:
- aP-vaccinated baboons required multiple infections to develop T-helper 17 responses and protection, similar to unvaccinated animals after one infection.
- T-helper 1 responses were not detected in aP-vaccinated animals even after three challenges.
- Antibody levels (Immunoglobulin G) against vaccine and non-vaccine pertussis antigens remained unaffected.
Conclusions:
- Existing aP-primed immune responses can be modulated, but likely require optimized booster doses and multiple administrations.
- Pertussis circulation in aP-vaccinated populations appears concentrated among younger individuals, informing epidemiological models.
