Vitrotest® Bordetella pertussis Toxin IgG

• Solid phase: breakable microplate ELISA is coated with purified Bordetella pertussis toxin.
• Conjugate: a monoclonal antibodies to human IgG conjugated to horseradish peroxidase.
• Chromogen: ready to use TMB solution.
• Volume of sample for analysis: 10 μl.
• Assay time: 1h 15 min.

Whooping cough is a dangerous respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Characteristic symptoms of the disease include paroxysmal spasmodic coughing, a high-pitched “whoop” sound when inhaling, post-cough vomiting, and more. Whooping cough is most severe in infants and young children, often leading to apnea (breathing pauses) and, in some cases, death.

Whooping cough is a globally widespread disease with a cyclic pattern, with peaks in incidence every 3-5 years. Due to the severity of its clinical manifestations, many countries have implemented vaccination programs against whooping cough. As a result of widespread vaccination campaigns conducted in the 1950s and 1960s in developed countries, there was a sharp decrease in both incidence (by more than 90%) and mortality from whooping cough.

However, despite high vaccination coverage, whooping cough remains a public health issue worldwide, with approximately 140,000 cases reported annually.

In Ukraine, according to the National Immunization Schedule, children should be vaccinated against whooping cough at the ages of 2, 4, 6, and 18 months. For vaccinating children against whooping cough during the first year of life, both acellular (aP) and whole-cell (wP) pertussis vaccines can be used. The immunity formed as a result of the full course of vaccination against whooping cough lasts for 5-7 years.

Laboratory methods are used to diagnose whooping cough, with the most common being polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (to detect the pathogen during the first 2-3 weeks of the illness) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (to detect specific antibodies). The presence of IgM antibodies specific to Bordetella pertussis indicates an acute infection or recent vaccination. The detection of IgG antibodies to the pertussis toxin (PT) in the serum of an unvaccinated individual allows for the diagnosis of a past or current infection and provides information about specific immunity after vaccination.