Document Type : Review Article
Authors
Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis (Bp). The disease is most severe in infants and young children, while adolescents and adults usually experience milder symptoms, but play a crucial role in transmitting the infection. Despite global vaccination efforts, pertussis remains a significant health concern. Historically, the first generation of pertussis vaccines, known as inactivated whole cell pertussis vaccines had significant side effects, leading to the development of safe acellular pertussis vaccines. The second generation of pertussis vaccines contain few components of Bp and induce a protection comparable to the older whole-cell vaccines. Recent studies have shown a resurgence of pertussis due to various factors, such as improved diagnosis, waning immunity from vaccinations, and the emergence of vaccine-resistant strains. To address these challenges, researchers are developing a new generation of pertussis vaccines by trying different approaches such as changing the administration route from intramuscular to intranasal, developing outer membrane vesicle-based vaccines, and live-attenuated pertussis vaccines, as well as investigating nucleic acid-based vaccines and novel adjuvants to induce the long-term respiratory immunity. This review is largely focused on evaluating the effectiveness of the next generation pertussis vaccines administered intranasally in pre-clinical and clinical settings.
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