Bordetella pertussis virulence factor

Bordetella pertussis virulence factors include a variety of proteins and molecules that enable the bacterium to cause whooping cough (pertussis) in humans. Key well-characterized factors include **pertussis toxin (PTX)**, an AB5-type exotoxin that disrupts G-protein signaling; **adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT)**, which increases cAMP in target immune cells; **filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA)** and **fimbriae**, which mediate adherence to respiratory epithelial cells; **pertactin (Prn)**, an autotransporter adhesin; and other toxins and effectors such as **tracheal cytotoxin (TCT)** and **dermonecrotic toxin (DNT)**. The expression of these factors is tightly regulated by a two-component signal transduction system (BvgAS), and some are components of acellular pertussis (aPV) vaccines. These virulence factors collectively play major roles in pathogenesis, immune system modulation, and the disease course of pertussis. **Note:** For structured bioinformatic or target-database purposes, this term should be replaced by the specific protein or molecular entity of interest (e.g., "Pertussis toxin", "Filamentous hemagglutinin", "Adenylate cyclase toxin") because "Bordetella pertussis virulence factors" is not a unique molecular target but a collective category.

Other names

Bordetella pertussis pathogenic factorsB. pertussis virulence determinantsB. pertussis toxins and adhesins

Vaccine-induced adaptive immunity targets specific virulence factors to neutralize the pathogen (No direct small-molecule inhibition of the group as a whole; individual drugs or antibodies can neutralize specific toxins)