Analysis of Bordetella pertussis isolates collected in Japan before and after introduction of acellular pertussis vaccines

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 19; no. 23-24; pp. 3248 - 3252
• Main Authors: Guiso, Nicole, Boursaux-Eude, Caroline, Weber, Christian, Hausman, Sally Z., Sato, Hiroko, Iwaki, Masaaki, Kamachi, Kazunari, Konda, Toshifumi, Burns, Drusilla L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 30.04.2001; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acellular vaccines; Antigenic Variation; Antigens, Bacterial - genetics; Antigens, Bacterial - isolation & purification; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Bordetella pertussis; Bordetella pertussis - genetics; Bordetella pertussis - immunology; Bordetella pertussis - isolation & purification; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; DNA, Bacterial - isolation & purification; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Europe; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes, Bacterial; Humans; Japan; Microbiology; Pertussis Vaccine - immunology; Pertussis Vaccine - pharmacology; prn gene; ptx gene; Selection, Genetic; Vaccines, Acellular - immunology; Vaccines, Acellular - pharmacology; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies; Asia; Japan; Europe; Acellular vaccines; Japan; Bordetella pertussis; Human; Genetic selection; Toxin; Genetic variability; Vaccination; Antigenic variation; Molecular epidemiology; Bacteria; Pilus; Adhesin
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/S0264-410X(01)00013-5

Because of recent concern that whole-cell pertussis vaccination can drive antigenic divergence of circulating isolates of Bordetella pertussis, we compared 12 clinical isolates of B. pertussis collected in Japan, the first country to introduce acellular pertussis vaccines, with the vaccine strain. We used pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, sequencing of ptx and prn genes and expression of fimbriae. Most of the isolates collected before or after introduction of acellular vaccine possess similar restriction patterns. They contain ptx genes and prn alleles similar to the vaccine strain and to European isolates collected before the introduction of vaccination. Two recently collected isolates exhibiting a different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern possess ptxS1 and prn alleles similar to the alleles harbored by European isolates circulating currently. Our preliminary results suggest that, if acellular pertussis vaccine-induced antigenic divergence exists, it is likely to be a slow or rare process.