The role of bactericidal and opsonic activity in immunity against Bordetella pertussis
Pascal Blanc, Yuanqing Liu, Nathalie Reveneau, Breeze E. Cavell, Andrew Gorringe, Geneviève Renauld‐Mongénie
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: biology, vaccine schedules, and/or coverage. Additionally, mechanisms of protection conferred by acellular pertussis (aP) and whole-cell pertussis (wP) vaccines differ qualitatively. There are no clear immune correlates of protection for pertussis vaccines. Pertussis antigens can induce toxin neutralizing antibodies, block adherence or engage complement mediated phagocytic/bactericidal killing. AREAS COVERED: We reviewed the existing evidence on antibody-mediated serum bactericidal and opsonophagocytic activity and discussed the relevance of these functional antibodies in the development of next-generation pertussis vaccines. EXPERT OPINION: Current paradigm proposes that wP vaccines may confer greater herd protection than aP vaccines due to their enhanced clearance of bacteria from the nasopharynx in animal models. Functional antibodies may contribute to the reduction of nasal colonization, which differentiates aP and wP vaccines. Understanding the intrinsic differences in protective immune responses elicited by each class of vaccines will help to identify biomarkers that can be used as immunological end points in clinical trials.