Store at -20 deg c until use, avoid multiple freeze/thaw cycles
General Information
Biological Significance
Bordetella pertussis is a Gram-negative, aerobic coccobacillus capsulate of the genus Bordetella, and the causative agent of pertussis or whooping cough. Unlike B. bronchiseptica, B. pertussis is nonmotile. Its virulence factors include pertussis toxin, filamentous hæmagglutinin, pertactin, fimbria, and tracheal cytotoxin. There does not appear to be a zoonotic reservoir for B. pertussis—humans are its only host.
The bacterium is spread by airborne droplets; its incubation period is seven to 14 days.