Volume 27, Number 6—June 2021
Synopsis
Pertactin-Deficient Bordetella pertussis, Vaccine-Driven Evolution, and Reemergence of Pertussis
Figure 1

Figure 1. Model for various roles of antibodies against antigens in acellular pertussis vaccine. A) Antibodies against PT and FHA neutralize secreted virulence factors and mitigate disease progression but are not targeted to the bacterial surface. B) Antibodies attaching to fimbriae poorly activate the complement system far from the bacterial membrane. C) Antibody-PRN complex induces strong bactericidal activity via multiple synergistic functions. This complex activates complement to form a MAC, activates complement to deposit components such as C3b that opsonize the bacterial surface, and binds FcRs on phagocytes to activate phagocytosis. PRN labels indicate strains specifically lacking PRN. Bp, Bordetella pertussis; CR1, complement receptor type 1; FcR, fragment crystallizable region; FHA, filamentous hemagglutinin; MAC, membrane attack complex; PRN, pertactin; PT, pertussis toxin.
1These authors contributed equally to this article.