Bordetella Pertussis in Infants

Presenter: Rebecca Oluwasanmi, Public Health Science, Global Public Health Scholars

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For my practicum project, I completed an internship with the University of Maryland School of Medicine. I worked in the Scanlon Lab and its goal is to research Bordetella Pertussis in infants. We investigated the age-dependent expression and regulation of an immunosuppressive molecule called Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). IDO is an enzyme that is encoded by the gene IDO1 in mammals. IDO plays a role in many diseases, for example, cancer and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. We also examined the correlation between IDO expression and the regulation of inflammation, by measuring interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) levels. I learned that the expression of IDO in the lungs is age-dependent, with significant upregulation in early life, and in infants, IDO functions limit inflammation but consequently promote bacterial outgrowth and severe pertussis manifestations. I also learned that B. pertussis is age dependent and causes acute manifestations such as seizures, pneumonia, and pulmonary hypertension that are exclusive to infants and not seen at an older age. This connects to public health because there is a high prevalence of Bordetella Pertussis cases worldwide with more than half the deaths occurring in children younger than five years old. There are currently no remedial solutions for this monumental problem. This research helps us understand why B. pertussis is more severe in infants. With this knowledge, we can publicize this research for vaccines, medicines, and so on.