Bordetella holmesii

Bordetella holmesii Latest News

A team at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has reported a significant rise in infections caused by a lesser-known bacterium Bordetella holmesii that mimics whooping cough in north India.

About Bordetella holmesii

• It is a bacterium recently recognized in 1995.
• It is a gram-negative coccobacillus that can cause pertussis-like symptoms in humans as well as invasive infections.
• It can cause endocarditis, community acquired pneumonia, cellulitis, suppurative arthritis, and pyelonephritis. 
  • Researchers discovered that nearly 37 per cent of infections in North India were caused by Bordetella holmesii (bacterium), surpassing the number of infections from Bordetella pertussis.

What is Whooping cough?

• It is also known as pertussis.
• It is a highly contagious infection which impacts the respiratory tract and is caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria.
• It gets its name from the “whooping” sound which the patient experiences while coughing.
• It is particularly severe in infants and in case of complications may lead to pneumonia and even death.
• Treatment: Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) vaccines.

Transmission of Whooping Cough

• A person catches this bacteria via droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
• It attaches itself to the throat lining and then produces toxins which damage hair-like projections which clear debris and mucus.
• This leads to inflammation in the airways and causes severe coughing fits.

Symptoms of Whooping Cough

• It begins with cold-like symptoms accompanied with low-grade fever. As it progresses, coughs get accompanied with a “whooping” sound.
• It causes sleep apnea in children.

Source: TH

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