Intranasal challenge with B. pertussis leads to more severe disease manifestations in mice than aerosol challenge

The murine Bordetella pertussis challenge model has been utilized in preclinical research for decades. Currently, inconsistent methodologies are employed by researchers across the globe, making it difficult to compare findings. The objective of this work was to utilize the CD-1 mouse model with two routes of challenge, intranasal and aerosol administration of B. pertussis, to understand the differences in disease manifestation elicited via each route. We observed that both routes of B. pertussis challenge result in dose-dependent colonization of the respiratory tract, but overall, intranasal challenge led to higher bacterial burden in the nasal lavage, trachea, and lung. Furthermore, high dose intranasal challenge results in induction of leukocytosis and pro-inflammatory cytokine responses compared to aerosol challenge. These data highlight crucial differences in B. pertussis challenge routes that should be considered during experimental design.