Neonatal Neutrophil-mediated Control of Bordetella pertussis Is Disrupted by Pertussis Toxin.

ABSTRACT: The increased susceptibility of infants and young children to some diseases has often been explained as the neonatal immune system (NIS) being incomplete and/or underdeveloped. However, our recent work demonstrated that neonatal mice could clear a Bordetella pertussis (Bp) strain lacking pertussis toxin (PTx) (BpΔptx) much more efficiently than adult mice, indicating that the NIS can be extremely effective, but this ability is highly sensitive to being blocked by PTx. In this article, we investigated immunological mechanisms by which neonates efficiently and rapidly clear BpΔptx to better understand how the NIS functions and how PTx disrupts it. Depleting neutrophils, or blocking their recruitment, inhibited pups' ability to rapidly clear BpΔptx, revealing a critical role for neutrophils.

SUBMITTER: Sedney CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11605672 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature