title: Age-specific long-term course of IgG antibodies to pertussis toxin after symptomatic infection with Bordetella pertussis.
abstract: To investigate the possible dependence on age of the rate of decline of IgG antibodies to pertussis toxin (IgG-PT) after natural infection with Bordetella pertussis we measured IgG-PT in follow-up sera of 121 patients (age 0-94 years) obtained after 123 episodes of B. pertussis infection. For analysis we applied a dynamic model for the inactivation of B. pertussis by the immune system. There were no significant differences in rise, peak and decline of IgG-PT between different age groups, although there was a tendency for a more rapid increase, a higher peak and a faster decline with increasing age. The IgG-PT cut-off of 100 U/ml for serodiagnosis of pertussis appeared valid in all age groups. A decline of IgG-PT to < 10 U/ml was associated with increased risk of re-infection with B. pertussis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Groene Hart Hospital, Gouda, The Netherlands. florens.versteegh@ghz.nl
authors.forename: F G A
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Versteegh
authors.forename: P L J M
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Mertens
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: de Melker
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Roord
authors.forename: J F P
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Schellekens
authors.forename: P F M
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Teunis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D001886:Bordetella pertussis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D037342:Pertussis Toxin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D018570:Risk Assessment; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella / Q000276:immunology*; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella; D037342:Pertussis Toxin