The proteins of whooping cough are evolving extraordinarily fast to overcome the presently used vaccine according to the researchers. From the 2012 analysis of strains, it shows the parts of the pertussis bacterium that the vaccine leads the immune system to identify is changing.
In the Journal of Infectious Diseases, UK researchers stated that, "It may have serious consequences in future outbreaks."
But the experts stressed that the vaccine stays highly effective in securing the most susceptible young babies. In recent years, there has been a worldwide resurgence of whooping cough.
In 2012, there was a dramatic raise from the last peak of about 900 cases in 2008, which were about 10,000 confirmed in Wales and England. The epidemic resulted to 14 deaths in babies under 3 months of age. This is the age group when they are most vulnerable to such infection.
The increasing numbers prompted health officials to suggest vaccination of pregnant women so that immunity may be passed to their infants. This is a strategy that a new research showed was working fine.
But experts have been debating whether the introduction of a new vaccine in 2004 has something to do with the rising whooping cough rates. One issue is that an "immunity from the acellular vaccine" containing particular proteins from the surface of the bacteria does not appear to last as long as the earlier whole cell version, leaving adults and teenagers with deficient safeguard.
In the newest study, researchers made analysis on the "genes coding for the proteins on the surface of the pertussis bacterium" which caused the outbreak in United Kingdom.
The researchers discovered proteins being under attack by the vaccine were having faster mutating rate compared to other surface proteins excluded in the vaccine.
Possibly, it denotes that the bacteria are changing rapidly to get around the defences of immune system which are put in place with immunisation. This is caused by Bordetella pertussis and mostly affects babies. The most basic signs are same to a common cold which later develops into a cough and can even lead to pneumonia. While coughing, a baby might turn blue due to deficiency in oxygen supply. There is a tendency for a short burst to happen followed by "desperate gasps for air" or the whooping noise.