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Differential In Vitro Expression of the brkA Gene in Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis Clinical Isolates

Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immune-Mediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy,¹ Institute of Microbiology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy²

Received 3 February 2006/ Returned for modification 13 March 2006/ Accepted 17 July 2006

In this study, we set up a real-time reverse transcriptase PCR assay to measure the relative amounts of brkA transcripts in 50 Bordetella isolates. The results suggested that brkA expression is strain dependent and its level may play a role in determining the serum resistance or susceptibility phenotype. Pertussis immunocompetent sera were unable to kill Bordetella parapertussis via complement deposition.