Obtención de mutantes de Bordetella pertussis carentes de la toxina adenilato ciclasa-hemolisina.

Bordetella pertussis is the causal agent of whooping cough (pertussis), a highly contagious respiratory illness. This organism produces a group of virulence factors between which is possible to find to the adenylate cyclase toxin-hemolysin (CyaA) and pertactin (Prn). The first allows the bacteria inhibit phagocytosis and inflammatory response in the host, whereas the second is an adhesin that is frequently included as a component in acellular vaccines against B. pertussis. The objective of this work was to obtain Bordetella pertussis LPA311 mutants lacking adenylate cyclase toxin - hemolysin and largest producers of pertactin 2 with vaccinal purposes. The results revealed that in the seven mutants obtained the cyaA gene has been replaced by the prn2 gene. Additionally, one-way ANOVA showed that the levels of production of Prn in five of the mutants were significantly higher to the levels produced by the control (p < 0.05). These results showed that the strategy of replacement of the gene cyaA by the prn2 gene on B. pertussis LPA311, allows eliminating the CyaA expression and increasing the Prn production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]