Frequency of Unrecognized Bordetella pertussis Infections in Adults

To investigate the frequency of unrecognized Bordetella pertussis infections in adults, we performed IgA and IgG ELISA antibody studies with four B. pertussis antigens—i.e., lymphocytosis-promoting factor, filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin, and fimbriae-2—in 51 health care workers from whom six c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical infectious diseases 1995-09, Vol.21 (3), p.639-642
Main Authors: Deville, Jaime G., Cherry, James D., Christenson, Peter D., Pineda, Evelyn, Leach, Charles T., Kuhls, Thomas L., Viker, Susan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Antibodies
Antibodies, Bacterial - blood
Antigens
Antigens, Bacterial
Bacterial diseases
Biological and medical sciences
Bordetella pertussis
Bordetella pertussis - immunology
Clinical Articles
Ent and stomatologic bacterial diseases
Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay
Epidemics
Epidemiology
Female
Health Personnel
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Immunoglobulin A - blood
Immunoglobulin G - blood
Infections
Infectious diseases
Los Angeles - epidemiology
Medical personnel
Medical sciences
Pediatrics
Time Factors
Whooping cough
Whooping Cough - diagnosis
Whooping Cough - epidemiology
Whooping Cough - immunology
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Summary:To investigate the frequency of unrecognized Bordetella pertussis infections in adults, we performed IgA and IgG ELISA antibody studies with four B. pertussis antigens—i.e., lymphocytosis-promoting factor, filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin, and fimbriae-2—in 51 health care workers from whom six consecutive yearly serum samples (from 1984 to 1989) were available. Overall, 90% of the subjects had a significant increase in antibody (IgA or IgG) to one or more antigens between 2 consecutive years during the 5-year study period; 55% of subjects had evidence of two infections, 17% had three infections, and 4% had four infections. Infections occurred in all study years, with the following rates: 1984–1985, 32%; 1985–1986, 24%; 1986–1987, 40%; 1987–1988, 29%; and 1988–1989, 43% (P = .12). Some antibody rises may have been due to responses to cross-reacting antigens (Bordetella parapertussis, nontypable Haemophilus influenzae), but overall these data suggest that B. pertussis infections in adults are common, endemic, and usually unrecognized.
ISSN:1058-4838
1537-6591
DOI:10.1093/clinids/21.3.639