proliferation responses in preimmunized mice lymphocytes by bordetella pertussis cell wall components

bordetella pertussis infects the respiratory tract of the human host and causes whooping cough in children. the nature of immunity against bordetella pertussis infection and disease is poorly understood. the aim of this study was to investigate cell mediated immunity in mice immunized with outer membrane component of cell wall, of b. pertussis. a group of mice were immunized with outer membrane complex (omc) and killed whole cell (wcv) of b. pertussis, with an interval of 2 weeks. during a period of 7 weeks following the immunization, lymphocytes were isolated from lymph nodes of immunized mice. the in vitro proliferative response of isolated lymphocyte to stimulation with 20 ^g of 30 and 69 kda outer membrane protein (omp) were measured as parameters for cell mediated immunity (cmi). the data were expressed as mean count per minute (cpm)xlo3 after subtraction of the cpm of unstimulated control cultures. lymphoblastogenic response was observed in immunized mice with wcv and omc. at 30 days of post immunization a significant increase in response to 30 and 69 kda omp was observed, a small decrease in the response was evident against p30 and p69 at 60 and 120 days of post immunization, but the response was still higher than what was observed in control mice. current findings indicate strongly the potential of outer membrane protein component of b. pertussis in proliferating lymphocytes in the mice.