Recent progress in clinical and basic pertussis research

Over the last decade, substantial progress has been made in the field of pertussis research. This includes better understanding of virulence mechanisms and their influence on the pathogenicity of Bordetella pertussis, increased awareness of the broad spectrum of disease and more insight into the host's immune response to infection, improved diagnostic tools, development, evaluation, introduction and implementation of several acellular pertussis vaccines and better understanding of the epidemiology of pertussis in adolescents and adults. CONCLUSION: The major achievements in the field of pertussis research are reviewed and discussed. They have great impact on the current and future practice of paediatric, adolescent and adult medicine.