Chandigarh: The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has reported a concerning rise in infections caused by a lesser-known bacterium that closely mimics whooping cough (pertussis) in northern India. The findings mark another major breakthrough for PGIMER’s infectious-disease research team, which had earlier identified Stenotrophomonas sepilia, a new bacterium linked to sepsis.
The new study, published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), analysed 935 suspected pertussis cases between 2019 and 2023. Researchers found that nearly 37% of these infections were caused by Bordetella holmesii, surpassing the number of traditional Bordetella pertussis infections.
The sharpest increase was recorded in 2023, with most cases reported among children aged 5 to 10 years across northern India.
According to the ongoing surveillance data at PGIMER since 2015, the prevalence of B. pertussis infections has dropped from 15–20% to just 2–5%, while infections from B. holmesii have seen a marked rise — signalling a shift in the pattern of whooping cough-like respiratory illnesses in the region.
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease that was once a leading cause of childhood deaths, with mortality rates touching 10% in the early 20th century. Despite global vaccination efforts, the illness continues to pose a significant public-health challenge in Asia, particularly in India and China. After a temporary decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases have rebounded sharply — India recently reported nearly 13.6 million cases, while China’s incidence rose from 0.13 per 100,000 in 2013 to 2.15 per 100,000 in 2019, crossing 58,000 reported cases by early 2024.
The long-term research initiative was led by Dr. Vikas Gautam’s laboratory at PGIMER, in collaboration with Dr. Prabhu Patil of CSIR–IMTECH, Chandigarh.
“These findings underscore PGIMER’s pivotal role in identifying emerging pathogens and strengthening infectious-disease surveillance in India,” the institute said in a statement.
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