A new animal model of Bordetella pertussis infection and immunity.

Bordetella pertussis is a strictly human pathogen. Experimental infection of other animals can occur with large inoculating doses; rat, mice and primate models have been used to study pathogenesis and immunity. Recently, it was shown that newborn piglets are susceptible to B. pertussis. Lung pathophysiology of infected piglets was similar to that of human infants that develop bronchopneumonia. Piglets and infants are anatomically similar and maternal antibodies are transferred and secreted by a similar mechanism. This model could be valuable for studying the roles of passively and actively acquired immunity against B. pertussis.