The evolving nature of Bordetella pertussis in Ontario, Canada, 2009-2017 : strains with shifting genotypes and pertactin deficiency

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DOI

https://doi.org/10.1139/cjm-2019-0128

Language of the publication
English
Date
2019-07-11
Type
Article
Author(s)
  • Raymond S. W. Tsang
  • Michelle Shuel
  • Kirby Cronin
  • Saul Deng
  • Kathleen Whyte
  • Alex Marchand-Austin
  • Jennifer Ma
  • Shelly Bolotin
  • Natasha Crowcroft
  • Kevin Schwartz
  • Gary Van Domselaar
  • Morag Graham
  • Frances B. Jamieson
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing

Abstract

This study examined the evolving nature of Bordetella pertussis in Ontario, Canada, by characterizing isolates for their genotypes and expression of pertactin (PRN). From 2009 to 2017, 413 B. pertussis were cultured from pertussis cases at the Public Health Ontario Laboratory. Their genotypes were determined by partial gene sequence analysis of their virulence and (or) vaccine antigens: filamentous haemagglutinin, PRN, fimbriae 3, and pertussis toxin, including the promoter region. Expression of PRN was measured by Western immunoblot. Two predominant genotypes, ST-1 and ST-2, were found throughout the study and were responsible for 47.5% and 46.3% of all case isolates, respectively. The prevalence of ST-1 appeared to fluctuate from 80.3% in 2009 to 20.0% in 2014 and 58.5% in 2017, while the prevalence of ST-2 changed from 18.4% in 2009 to 80.0% in 2014 and 26.2% in 2017. A PRN-deficient strain was first noted in 2011 (16.7%), and its prevalence increased to 70.8% in 2016 but decreased to 46.2% in 2017. More ST-2 (46.6%) than ST-1 (16.8%) strains were associated with PRN deficiency. Newer ST-21 and ST-22 found in 2015–2017 were uniformly PRN deficient. The impact of the evolving nature of B. pertussis on disease epidemiology requires further longitudinal studies.

Plain language summary

This study examined the evolving nature of Bordetella pertussis in Ontario, Canada, by characterizing isolates for their genotypes and expression of pertactin (PRN). From 2009 to 2017, 413 B. pertussis were cultured from pertussis cases at the Public Health Ontario Laboratory. Two predominant genotypes, Sequence Type (ST)-1 and ST-2, were found throughout the study and were responsible for 47.5% and 46.3% of all case isolates, respectively. The prevalence of ST-1 appeared to fluctuate from 80.3% in 2009 to 20.0% in 2014 and 58.5% in 2017, while the prevalence of ST-2 changed from 18.4% in 2009 to 80.0% in 2014 and 26.2% in 2017. A PRN-deficient strain was first noted in 2011 (16.7%), and its prevalence increased to 70.8% in 2016 but decreased to 46.2% in 2017. More ST-2 (46.6%) than ST-1 (16.8%) strains were associated with PRN deficiency. Newer ST-21 and ST-22 found in 2015–2017 were uniformly PRN deficient. The impact of the evolving nature of B. pertussis on disease epidemiology requires further longitudinal studies.

Subject

  • Health,
  • Epidemiology,
  • Public health,
  • Infectious diseases

Keywords

  • Bordetella pertussis,
  • pertactin deficiency,
  • genotype

Rights

Pagination

823-830

Peer review

Yes

Open access level

Gold

Identifiers

PubMed ID
31295416
ISSN
1480-3275

Article

Journal title
Canadian Journal of Microbiology
Journal volume
65
Journal issue
11
Accepted date
2019-05-24

Citation(s)

Tsang, R. S. W., Shuel, M., Cronin, K., Deng, S., Whyte, K., Marchand-Austin, A., Ma, J., Bolotin, S., Crowcroft, N., Schwartz, K., Van Domselaar, G., Graham, M., & Jamieson, F. B. (2019). The evolving nature of Bordetella pertussis in Ontario, Canada, 2009-2017: strains with shifting genotypes and pertactin deficiency. Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 65(11), 823–830. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjm-2019-0128

URI

Collection(s)

Communicable diseases

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