Bordetella pertussis is an etiological factor of whooping cough. Despite global vaccination programs, this disease remains endemic in many countries and is still recognized as a significant public health problem. It is estimated that in 2014, around 24 million people worldwide contracted pertussis, of whom 160,700 children under the age of 5 died. Two types of pertussis vaccines are available: suspensions based on whole, killed, B. pertussis cells and acellular pertussis vaccines containing highly purified bacterial antigens. Due to concerns of potential neurological side effects of the whole-cell vaccines, less reactogenic acellular vaccines are now more commonly used. In recent years, many developed countries have reported a resurgence of pertussis disease despite of the high vaccine coverage. Several causes have been suggested for the re-emergence of pertussis including waning immunity and bacterial adaptation resulting from the selection pressure of the used vaccinations.
1. Introduction. 2. Virulence factors of Bordetella pertussis. 3. Pathogenesis of pertussis infection. 4. Clinical symptoms of pertussis. 5. Epidemiology. 6. Genetic variation in Bordetella pertussis. 7. Whole-cell pertussis vaccines. 8. Acellular pertussis vaccines. 9. Future pertussis vaccines. 10. Summary
