URING the last half of the twentieth century, pertussis vaccine has been at the center of controversies over the evaluation and marketing of vaccines for children. This controversy has transcended the simple confines of scientific research to redefine relationships among industry, government, law, and consumer advocacy. The dangerous side effects of whole-cell pertussis vaccine have been known ...

Rise of diphtheria cases in adults is a cause of concern worldwide. Pertussis is also now affecting adults. We assessed serum levels of tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis antibodies in 62 adults in Pune, India, who had missed their primary immunization. All adults were then given three doses of tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine at 0, 1, and 6 months. All adults were immune to tetanus but 78% had l...

Whole-cell pertussis vaccine was introduced in China in the early 1960s. We used standard typing methods to compare 96 Bordetella pertussis isolates collected before and after introduction of vaccination, during 1953-2005. The following vaccine-type alleles of the pertussis toxin (ptx) gene were characteristic for all prevaccination strains: ptxA2, ptxA3, and ptxA4. The shift to ptxA1 occurred ...

BACKGROUND The use of whole-cell pertussis vaccine has led to a significant decline in incidence of the disease among children. This change in the epidemiological profile led to an increased number of cases among teenagers and adults, as a result of loss of immunity to the disease or vaccine after approximately 10 years. An increased number of cases was also observed among non-immunized or part...

n engl j med 367;9 nejm.org august 30, 2012 785 in 50 years. Why has this theoretically vaccine-preventable disease been on the upswing? The past 45 years have seen concern about the safety of the diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis (DTP) vaccine, epidemics stemming from the vaccine’s decreased use, and the development of new vaccines using acellular pertussis components (DTaP). In the prevaccine era,...

DESCRIPTION DAPTACEL, Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed, for intramuscular use, manufactured by Aventis Pasteur Limited, is a sterile suspension of pertussis antigens and diphtheria and tetanus toxoids adsorbed on aluminum phosphate in a sterile isotonic sodium chloride solution. After shaking, the vaccine is a white homogeneous cloudy suspension. Each dose...

Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, is a promising and attractive candidate for vaccine delivery via the nasal route, provided that suitable attenuation of this pathogen has been obtained. Recently, the highly attenuated B. pertussis BPZE1 strain has been described as a potential live pertussis vaccine for humans. We investigated here the use of BPZE1 as a live vehicle ...

TO THE EDITOR—The excellent study by Koepke et al [1] on rapidly waning immunity of tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccines given in adolescence adds to the list of other well-done studies demonstrating that the duration of protection provided by acellular pertussis vaccines is substantially lower than that provided by whole-cell pertussis vaccines [2, 3]. We agree with the autho...

CONTEXT Universal immunization against Bordetella pertussis has partially controlled the burden of the disease and its transmission. However, according to recent data, the epidemiology of this vaccine-preventable disease has changed. Now, younger infants, adolescents, and adults are at greater risk of infection. This article has studied the interaction between the various factors involved in th...

BACKGROUND Pertussis is among the most poorly controlled bacterial vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States. In 2006, a tetanus, reduced-dose diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) booster was recommended for adolescents and adults. Tdap vaccines were licensed on the basis of antibody response without vaccine effectiveness data. METHODS From 30 September 2007 through 19 December ...