Pertussis seroprevalence among adults of reproductive age (20-39 years) in fourteen European countries.

The reported incidence of pertussis in European countries varies considerably. We aimed to study specific Bordetella pertussis seroprevalence in Europe by measuring serum IgG antibody levels to pertussis toxin (anti-PT IgG). Fourteen national laboratories participated in this study including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden.

Circulation of pertussis and poor protection against diphtheria among middle-aged adults in 18 European countries.

Reported incidence of pertussis in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) varies and may not reflect the real situation, while vaccine-induced protection against diphtheria and tetanus seems sufficient. We aimed to determine the seroprevalence of DTP antibodies in EU/EEA countries within the age groups of 40-49 and 50-59 years. Eighteen countries collected around 500 samples between 2015 and 2018 (N = 10,302) which were analysed for IgG-DTP specific antibodies.

Pertactin-deficient isolates: evidence of increased circulation in Europe, 1998 to 2015.

IntroductionPertussis outbreaks have occurred in several industrialised countries using acellular pertussis vaccines (ACVs) since the 1990s. High prevalence of pertactin (PRN)-deficient isolates has been found in these countries.AimsTo evaluate in Europe: (i) whether proportions of PRN-deficient strains increased in consecutive collections of clinical isolates; (ii) if the frequency of PRN-deficient strains in countries correlated with the time since ACV introduction; (iii) the presence of pertussis toxin (PT)-, filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA)- or fimbriae (Fim)-deficient isolates.

Surveillance of Circulating Bordetella pertussis Strains in Europe during 1998 to 2015.

One reason for increased pertussis incidence is the adaptation of to vaccine-induced immunity by modulating its genomic structure. This study, EUpert IV, includes 265 isolates collected from nine European countries during 2012 to 2015 ( = 265) and compares the results to previous EUpert I to III studies (1998 to 2009). The analyses included genotyping, serotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA).

B-cell responses after intranasal vaccination with the novel attenuated Bordetella pertussis vaccine strain BPZE1 in a randomized phase I clinical trial.

Despite high vaccination coverage, pertussis is still a global concern in infant morbidity and mortality, and improved pertussis vaccines are needed. A live attenuated Bordetella pertussis strain, named BPZE1, was designed as an intranasal vaccine candidate and has recently been tested in man in a phase I clinical trial. Here, we report the evaluation of the B-cell responses after vaccination with BPZE1.