++
Because the risk of transmission of B. pertussis within households is high, chemoprophylaxis is widely recommended for household contacts of pertussis cases. The effectiveness of chemoprophylaxis, although unproven, is supported by several epidemiologic studies of institutional and community outbreaks. In the only randomized placebo-controlled study, erythromycin estolate (50 mg/kg per day in three divided doses; maximum dose, 1 g/d) was effective in reducing the incidence of bacteriologically confirmed pertussis by 67%; however, there was no decrease in the incidence of clinical disease. Despite these disappointing results, many authorities continue to recommend chemoprophylaxis, particularly in households with members at high risk of severe disease (children <1 year of age, pregnant women). Data are not available on use of the newer macrolides for chemoprophylaxis, but these drugs are commonly used because of their increased tolerability and their effectiveness.
++
(See also Chap. 5) The mainstay of pertussis prevention is active immunization. Pertussis vaccine became widely used in North America after 1940; the reported number of pertussis cases subsequently fell by >90%. Whole-cell pertussis vaccines are prepared through the heating, chemical inactivation, and purification of whole B. pertussis organisms. Despite their efficacy (average estimate, 85%; range for different products, 30–100%), whole-cell pertussis vaccines are associated with adverse events—both common (fever; injection-site pain, erythema, and swelling; irritability) and uncommon (febrile seizures, hypotonic hyporesponsive episodes). Alleged associations of whole-cell pertussis vaccine with encephalopathy, sudden infant death syndrome, and autism, although not substantiated, have spawned an active anti-immunization lobby. The development of acellular pertussis vaccines, which are effective and less reactogenic, has greatly alleviated concerns about the inclusion of pertussis vaccine in the combined infant immunization series.
++
Although whole-cell vaccines are still used extensively in developing regions of the world, acellular pertussis vaccines are used exclusively for childhood immunization in much of the developed world. In North America, acellular pertussis vaccines for children are given as a three-dose primary series at 2, 4, and 6 months of age, with a reinforcing dose at 15–18 months of age and a booster dose at 4–6 years of age.
++
Although a wide variety of acellular pertussis vaccines were developed, only a few are still widely marketed; all contain pertussis toxoid and filamentous hemagglutinin. One acellular pertussis vaccine also contains pertactin, and another contains pertactin and two types of fimbriae. In light of phase 3 efficacy studies, most experts have concluded that two-component acellular pertussis vaccines are more effective than monocomponent vaccines and that the addition of pertactin increases efficacy still more. The further addition of fimbriae appears to enhance protective efficacy against milder disease. In two studies, protection conferred by pertussis vaccines correlated best with the production of antibody to pertactin, fimbriae, and pertussis toxin.
++
Adult formulations of acellular pertussis vaccines have been shown to be safe, immunogenic, and efficacious in clinical trials in adolescents and adults and are now recommended for routine immunization of these groups in several countries, including the United States. In this country, adolescents should receive a dose of the adult-formulation diphtheria–tetanus–acellular pertussis vaccine at the preadolescence physician’s visit, and all unvaccinated adults should receive a single dose of this combined vaccine. In addition, in the United States, pertussis immunization is specifically recommended for health care workers and for women during each pregnancy to increase passive transfer of maternal antibodies to the fetus. Pertussis vaccine coverage among U.S. adolescents was 78.2% in 2011, but coverage among adults is low (2.1% as of 2007). Further improvements in adult vaccine coverage may permit better control of pertussis across the age spectrum, with collateral protection of infants too young to be immunized. However, more effective vaccines with longer-lasting protection will ultimately be needed to control this disease.