PLoS ONE (Jan 2020)

Effect of FHA and Prn on Bordetella pertussis colonization of mice is dependent on vaccine type and anatomical site.

  • Anne Zeddeman,
  • Evi van Schuppen,
  • Kristianne E Kok,
  • Marjolein van Gent,
  • Kees J Heuvelman,
  • Marieke J Bart,
  • Han G J van der Heide,
  • Joshua Gillard,
  • Elles Simonetti,
  • Marc J Eleveld,
  • Fred J H van Opzeeland,
  • Saskia van Selm,
  • Ronald de Groot,
  • Marien I de Jonge,
  • Frits R Mooi,
  • Dimitri A Diavatopoulos

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237394
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 8
p. e0237394

Abstract

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Bordetella pertussis vaccine escape mutants that lack expression of the pertussis antigen pertactin (Prn) have emerged in vaccinated populations in the last 10-20 years. Additionally, clinical isolates lacking another acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine component, filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), have been found sporadically. Here, we show that both whole-cell pertussis (wP) and aP vaccines induced protection in the lungs of mice, but that the wP vaccine was more effective in nasal clearance. Importantly, bacterial populations isolated from the lungs shifted to an FHA-negative phenotype due to frameshift mutations in the fhaB gene. Loss of FHA expression was strongly selected for in Prn-deficient strains in the lungs following aP but not wP vaccination. The combined loss of Prn and FHA led to complete abrogation of bacterial surface binding by aP-induced serum antibodies. This study demonstrates vaccine- and anatomical site-dependent adaptation of B. pertussis and has major implications for the design of improved pertussis vaccines.