Changes in the Dutch Bordetella pertussis population in the first 20 years after the introduction of whole-cell vaccines.
Despite the introduction of mass vaccination in 1953 in The Netherlands, pertussis is currently an endemic disease with regular epidemic outbreaks. Changes in the Bordetella pertussis population in the first 20 years after the introduction of vaccination were studied by indexing IS1002 fingerprint types, fimbrial serotypes and 15 genes encoding surface proteins. Three periods were compared, the pre-vaccination period (1949-1952) and two subsequent periods, 1953-1958 and 1965-1972. Except for fimbrial serotypes, no changes were observed in the B. pertussis population between the first two periods. Mortality decreased fivefold and 543-fold in the periods 1953-1958 and 1965-1972, respectively, compared to the pre-vaccination period. The largest decrease in mortality coincided with significant changes in the B. pertussis population with respect to the frequencies of fimbrial serotypes, fingerprint types and ptxS1 alleles. A new fingerprint type (ft29), associated with the novel ptxS1 allele ptxS1A was observed in 50% of the isolates in the period 1965-1972. Of the 15 investigated genes, only ptxS1 showed a mismatch between the vaccine strains and clinical isolates, suggesting that it may have played a role in driving the observed changes. It is proposed that, within 10-20 years after the introduction of mass vaccination, an adaptive response occurred consisting of clonal expansion of strains, which expressed a pertussis toxin variant distinct from the vaccine variants. This adaptation had very little, if any, effect on mortality, however.
van Loo
Inge H M
IHM
Eijkman Winkler Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands2.|Laboratory for Infectious Diseases Research (LIO), National Institute of Public Health and Environment, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands1.
Mooi
Frits R
FR
Eijkman Winkler Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands2.|Laboratory for Infectious Diseases Research (LIO), National Institute of Public Health and Environment, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands1.
D001483:Base Sequence; D001886:Bordetella pertussis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D037342:Pertussis Toxin; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine / Q000276:immunology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012703:Serotyping; D013997:Time Factors; D014611:Vaccination; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella / Q000235:genetics; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella; D037342:Pertussis Toxin