Key Takeaways
- Bordetella holmesii now causes 37% of pertussis-like infections in North India
- Significant surge recorded in 2023, primarily affecting children aged 5-10 years
- Traditional B. pertussis infections have declined dramatically from 15-20% to just 2-5%
A new bacterial threat is causing a surge in chest infections across North Indian states, with researchers from PGIMER Chandigarh identifying Bordetella holmesii as the emerging culprit. This pathogen mimics whooping cough symptoms and has now surpassed the traditional Bordetella pertussis bacterium in infection rates.
Study Findings and Regional Impact
The research published in Emerging Infectious Diseases journal analyzed 935 suspected pertussis cases between 2019-2023. Nearly 37% of infections were attributed to B. holmesii, marking a significant shift in respiratory illness patterns in the region.
Dr. Vikas Gautam’s laboratory at PGIMER, collaborating with CSIR-IMTECH’s Dr. Prabhu Patil, led this long-term surveillance program active since 2015. Their data reveals B. pertussis prevalence dropped from 15-20% to just 2-5%, while B. holmesii infections rose dramatically.
Asian Public Health Context
Pertussis remains a substantial public health burden across Asia, particularly affecting India and China’s young children. After a temporary COVID-19 pandemic decline, cases have rebounded sharply.
India recently reported approximately 13.6 million cases, while China’s incidence rate jumped from 0.13 to 2.15 per 100,000 between 2013-2019, exceeding 58,990 reported cases by early 2024.
This research highlights PGIMER’s critical role in identifying new health threats, following their earlier discovery of stenotrophomonas sepilia, another bacterium responsible for sepsis.
