Some factors influencing the virulence for mice of Bordetella pertussis by the intracerebral route

Abstract

We cannot say that the intracerebral route or the intranasal route is a satisfactory method of determining the virulence of Bordetella pertussis for mice, but only that the intracerebral route determines the intracerebral virulence and the intranasal route the intranasal virulence, for these do not run hand in hand.

Toxin plays a part in the intranasal virulence by facilitating the primary lodgement of the organism in the lung, probably by paralysing the cilia of the ciliated epithelium. Toxin does not appear to play any obvious role in intracerebral virulence in which primary lodgement is mechanical.

The ability of the organism to grow in the tissue then comes into play. The factor responsible for growth in the lung does not appear to be identical with the factor responsible for growth in the brain.