Report on Bordetella Pertussis: Transmission, and Pathogenesis

This report provides a comprehensive overview of Bordetella Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough. It details the transmission methods, which primarily involve airborne droplets from infected individuals. The report then delves into the bacterium's pathogenesis, including how it establishes itself within the host, the role of specific surface proteins like filamentous hemagglutinin and pertactin in adhesion, and how it overcomes host defenses. The report highlights the importance of the pertussis toxin and the mechanisms through which it interferes with the immune system. Furthermore, it emphasizes the highly contagious nature of pertussis and its exclusive human-to-human transmission, as well as the importance of understanding the bacterium's impact on public health. References from the CDC and scientific journals are included to support the information provided.

BORDETELLA PERTUSSIS
Author Note:

BORDITELLA PERTUSSIS-ENTRY
 Transmission occurs by the medium of droplets.
 The droplets are formed when infected individuals cough,
sneeze, exhale with force and drip.
 Moreover, the transmission takes place when any uninfected
individual interacts physically or verbally within a distance of 3
feet with an individual who is infected.

BORDITELLA PERTUSSIS-
ESTABLISHMENT
 The best habitat of the viral infection is the human mucous layer
 Infects its host by forming colonies in the lung epithelial cells
 Filamentous haemaggluttin adhesion acts as the surface protein
which helps in the initial establishment of the bacteria.
 The surface protein are acceptable and hence binds to the
sulfatides present over the cilia of the epithelial cells.
 Fimbrae and petractin are the other adhesives helps the viral
structures in their adhesion.

BORDITELLA PERTUSSIS-
DEFEATING HOST DEFENCE
 Pertussis toxin is an in vivo and in vitro secreted protein that is
composed of five distinct subunits, called S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5.
Because there are 2 S4 units in the toxin ring, the drug is a
hexamer. The toxin comprises of a subunit A which promotes the
biological activity and a subunit B which attaches the compound
together with the cell membrane, as do many other protein
toxins. The sub-unit S 1 shapes the A-protomer of pertussis toxin
and the B-oligomer consisting of the five other sub-units.
 Two dimers, one comprising of S2 and S4 and the other of S3 and
S4, link the toxin with cell receptors.

BORDITELLA PERTUSSIS-
DAMAGING THE HOST
 The effective survival of this
pathogens is mainly due to its
capacity, from inhibition of
complementary- and phagocyte
drugs, to the absence of T- and
B-cell response to interfere with
almost every part of the immune
system.

BORDITELLA
PERTUSSIS-
TRANSMISSIBILITY
 Pertussis is a very contagious disease
only found in humans.
 Pertussis spreads from person to person
 People with pertussis usually spread the
disease to another person by coughing
or sneezing or when spending a lot of
time near one another where you share
breathing space.

References
• cdc.gov (2020). Pertussis | Whooping Cough |
Complications | CDC. [online] Cdc.gov. Available
at:
https://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/about/complicatio
ns.html [Accessed 10 Feb. 2020].
• de Gouw, D., Diavatopoulos, D., Bootsma, H.,
Hermans, P., & Mooi, F. (2011). Pertussis: a
matter of immune modulation. FEMS
Microbiology Reviews, 35(3), 441-474. doi:
10.1111/j.1574-6976.2010.00257.x

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