Study of Bacterial Gene Activity and Immune Response in Children with Pertussis Up to 15 Years Old

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying pertussis, also known as whooping cough, focusing on how the bacteria Bordetella pertussis behaves and how the immune system responds in children up to 15 years old. This research aims to understand why the disease varies in severity, especially its most severe form in infants, and to identify biomarkers that could predict disease severity. The study also considers the impact of current vaccines and bacterial evolution on the disease and vaccine effectiveness. The study involves collecting clinical data and biological samples, including deep nasal swabs and blood samples, from children suspected of having pertussis. Researchers will use advanced techniques to analyze the gene expression of B. pertussis strains and study the immune responses in the respiratory system and blood. This includes transcriptomic analysis of bacterial genes using a special gene panel and immune cell profiling over a three-year period. Participants will provide samples such as nasopharyngeal swabs and blood for analysis. Researchers will measure bacterial gene expression, plasma cytokine and chemokine levels, and immune cell types using flow cytometry. The study will monitor these factors over time to explore links between bacterial behavior and immune responses according to disease severity. The total observation period for outcome measures is three years, during which the study will track infection characteristics and immune signatures in children with pertussis.

Impact of Bacterial Expression and Immune Response in the Severity of Pertussis