This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Yao, S.-M. Articles by Li, S.-Y. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Yao, S.-M. Articles by Li, S.-Y.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2005, p. 5457-5461, Vol. 43, No. 11
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.11.5457-5461.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Antigenic Divergence of Bordetella pertussis Isolates in Taiwan

Laboratory for Bacteriology and Mycology, Center for Research and Diagnostics,¹ Immunization Division, Center for Disease Control, Taipei, Taiwan²

Received 1 June 2005/ Returned for modification 14 July 2005/ Accepted 8 August 2005

In recent studies, antigenic divergence has been observed in Bordetella pertussis circulating isolates. We collected 80 Bordetella pertussis isolates in Taiwan from 1998 to 2004 and analyzed them using a combination of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and sequencing of the ptxS1 and prn genes. The incidence of pertussis increases every 3 years, and most of the isolates prevalent since 1998 have expressed nonvaccine ptxS1A and prn2 alleles. Through PFGE analysis, all isolates could be classified into four major groups, and the incidence of these groups exhibited a correlation with the prn allele expressed by the isolates. We found that PFGE is more discriminative than gene sequencing, since it could divide the isolates expressing the prn2 allele into two groups: one group circulating from 1998 to 2001 and another group circulating from 2001 to 2004. The transition between the two groups in 2000 coincided with an outbreak of 326 cases. This research indicates that the antigenic divergence of B. pertussis circulating isolates has evolved over time in Taiwan. Such information will have implications for vaccine policy in Taiwan.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Lin, Y.-C., Sheng, W.-H., Chang, S.-C., Wang, J.-T., Chen, Y.-C., Wu, R.-J., Hsia, K.-C., Li, S.-Y. (2008). Application of a Microsphere-Based Array for Rapid Identification of Acinetobacter spp. with Distinct Antimicrobial Susceptibilities. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 612-617 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lin, Y.-C., Yao, S.-M., Yan, J.-J., Chen, Y.-Y., Chiang, C.-S., Wu, H.-S., Li, S.-Y. (2007). Epidemiological shift in the prevalence of pertussis in Taiwan: implications for pertussis vaccination. J Med Microbiol 56: 533-537 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Singh, M., Lingappan, K. (2006). Whooping cough: the current scene.. Chest 130: 1547-1553 [Abstract] [Full Text]