Seroepidemiology of Bordetella pertussis infections in the twin cities of Pakistan

BACKGROUND: Bordetella pertussis is the cause of whooping cough occurring mainly in children. The prevalence of this disease has been reduced largely due to worldwide mass vaccination with DTP vaccine. However, the immunity produced by the vaccination wanes by the passage of time. Still this disease kills around 2-4 million children annually. Adults may be a source of infection for infants and children. Furthermore, Bordetella pertussis has also been found to be associated with cases of persistent cough in adults in many countries. AIM: The aim of this study was to study the exposure of the adult population to the Bordetella pertussis by detecting IgG antibodies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed Seroepidemiology of Bordetella pertussis infections in multiethnic twin cities of Pakistan (Rawalpindi and Islamabad) using a commercially available ELISA kit to have a picture of epidemiology of Bordetella pertussis in Pakistan. We targeted adults of age between 18-45 years (mean age 29.64 years). RESULTS: The results of our study show a high percentage of seropositivity to Bordetella pertussis (89 percent), which indicates higher exposure to this organism and risk of infection to infants, children, adolescents and adults. CONCLUSION: A high percentage of seropositive individuals are alarming to health care professionals as well as policy makers. Bordetella pertussis infections may be associated with their atypical manifestation in Pakistan. Adult vaccination with DTP is recommended to reduce the risk of infection in infants and children through adult reservoirs.