Publication date: Dec 01, 2026
Pertussis (whooping cough) is a vaccine-preventable bacterial disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. Despite widespread vaccination, cases have increased globally since the 1990s, with notable outbreaks in 2012, 2016, and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Persistent endemicity and periodic epidemics are driven by limited prevention of nasal colonization, waning immunity after vaccination or natural infection, and pathogen adaptation. Differences between acellular (aP) and whole-cell (wP) vaccines reflect distinct immune profiles, with aP vaccines favoring Th2 responses and wP vaccines inducing Th1/Th17 responses and tissue-resident memory T cells. Circulating strains have evolved under vaccine pressure, including shifts in ptxP, ptxA and prn alleles, increasing pertussis toxin production, emergence of pertactin-deficient variants, and rising macrolide resistance linked to 23S rRNA mutations. Optimizing current vaccine strategies and developing next-generation vaccines that improve durable, Th1/Th17-polarized immunity and reduce transmission are essential for enhanced pertussis control.
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Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | pertussis |
| pathway | KEGG | Pertussis |
| disease | MESH | bacterial disease |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 pandemic |
| disease | MESH | infection |
| disease | MESH | strains |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Bordetella pertussis pertactin antigen |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Coenzyme M |
| disease | MESH | FHA |
| pathway | REACTOME | Reproduction |
| disease | MESH | included |
| disease | MESH | MSD |
| disease | MESH | Polio |
| disease | MESH | diphtheria |
| disease | MESH | hepatitis |
| disease | MESH | tetanus |
| disease | MESH | vaccine preventable disease |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Nitric Oxide |
| pathway | REACTOME | Apoptosis |
| pathway | REACTOME | Adaptive Immune System |
| disease | MESH | chronic infection |
| disease | MESH | re infection |
| disease | MESH | death |
| disease | MESH | asymptomatic infection |