TY - JOUR AU - Althouse, Benjamin M. AU - Scarpino, Samuel V. PY - 2015 DA - 2015/06/24 TI - Asymptomatic transmission and the resurgence of Bordetella pertussis JO - BMC Medicine SP - 146 VL - 13 IS - 1 AB - The recent increase in whooping cough incidence (primarily caused by Bordetella pertussis) presents a challenge to both public health practitioners and scientists trying to understand the mechanisms behind its resurgence. Three main hypotheses have been proposed to explain the resurgence: 1) waning of protective immunity from vaccination or natural infection over time, 2) evolution of B. pertussis to escape protective immunity, and 3) low vaccine coverage. Recent studies have suggested a fourth mechanism: asymptomatic transmission from individuals vaccinated with the currently used acellular B. pertussis vaccines. SN - 1741-7015 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0382-8 DO - 10.1186/s12916-015-0382-8 ID - Althouse2015 ER -