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Review
. 2014 Apr 1;209(7):982-5.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jit639.

Pertussis pathogenesis--what we know and what we don't know

Erik L Hewlett  1 , Drusilla L Burns, Peggy A Cotter, Eric T Harvill, Tod J Merkel, Conrad P Quinn, E Scott Stibitz
Affiliations
Review

Pertussis pathogenesis--what we know and what we don't know

Erik L Hewlett et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Pertussis is a worldwide public health threat. Bordetella pertussis produces multiple virulence factors that have been studied individually, and many have recently been found to have additional biological activities. Nevertheless, how they interact to cause the disease pertussis remains unknown. New animal models, particularly the infection of infant baboons with B. pertussis, are enabling longstanding questions about pertussis pathogenesis to be answered and new ones to be asked. Enhancing our understanding of pathogenesis will enable new approaches to the prevention and control of pertussis.

Keywords: Bordetella pertussis; pathogenesis; pertussis; virulence factors; whooping cough.

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