| Bordetella parapertussis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Bordetella pertussis growing on Charcoal Agar supplemented with Cephalexin. Isolate shown at 7 days growth in 10% carbon dioxide. Isolate from a pernasal swab from a patient with whooping cough | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Pseudomonadati |
| Phylum: | Pseudomonadota |
| Class: | Betaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Burkholderiales |
| Family: | Alcaligenaceae |
| Genus: | Bordetella |
| Species: | B. parapertussis |
| Binomial name | |
| Bordetella parapertussis | |
Bordetella parapertussis is a smallGram-negative bacterium of the genusBordetella that is adapted to colonise the mammalian respiratory tract.[1]Pertussis caused byB. parapertussis manifests with similar symptoms toB. pertussis-derived disease, but in general tends to be less severe.[2] Immunity derived fromB. pertussis does not protect against infection byB. parapertussis, however, because the O-antigen is found only onB. parapertussis. This antigen protectsB. parapertussis against antibodies specific toB. pertussis, so the bacteria are free to colonize the host's lungs without being subject to attack by previous antibodies. These findings suggestB. parapertussis evolved in a host population that had already developed immunity toB. pertussis, where being able to evadeB. pertussis immunity was an advantage.[3]
Two lineages ofB. parapertussis have been described. The first infects humans and is responsible for a minority of cases of the diseasepertussis (also known as whooping cough).[4] The second,ovine, lineage causes chronic nonprogressivepneumonia in sheep.[5] Both lineages are thought to have evolved from aB. bronchiseptica-like ancestor.[6] This disease can be symptomatic or asymptomatic and may predispose hosts to secondary infection.[7]
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