RESUMEN
Objectives To analyze the characteristics of antigenic genes of clinical Bordetella pertussis strains recently isolated by analyzing the sequence of pertussis toxin S1 subunit(ptxS1) , pertactin (Prn) , fimbriae 2 (Fim2) and fimbriae 3 (Fim3 ) genes of four clinical isolates. Methods The 4 clinical isolates were collected in 2002 in Shijiazhuang of Hebei province. Four strains were isolated from pertussis patient's nasopharyngeal aspirate. ptxS1, Prn, Fim2 and Fim3 genes of these strains were amplified and sequenced. The sequences of those genes were compared with those of the isolates in GenBank and the isoaltes used in the production of pertussis vaccine in China. Results The results of the gene sequencing showed the four clinical isolates belonged to ptxS1 A type, which were different from those in vaccine strains. In addition, three Prn and three Fim'3 variants were observed in the four clinical isolates. Sequence analysis showed that the nucleotide sequence and deduced amino acid sequence of those strains had more than 99% identity with those in vaccine strains. The phylogenetic trees of those genes also showed these strains had a higher level of similarity with other Bordetella pertussis strains. Conclusion The four clinical isolates are different from vaccine strains in four antigenic genes, which laid a foundation for further studies on pertussis epidemiology,quality control and development of pertussis vaccine in China.