Time-course of infection and responses in a coughing rat model of pertussis

Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were challenged intrabronchially with Bord etella pertussis strain 18-323 embedded in fine agarose beads and the time- course of infection and other events was determined. There was a steady dec line in the numbers of B. pertussis recovered from the rat lungs, with clea rance of the infection in most animals by day 12, Leucocytosis, lung inflam mation and an increase in total serum IgE in the rats as a result of the ch allenge were highest around day 10, which was coincident with the highest i ncidence of coughing in such animals. IgG and IgA antibodies to the B, pert ussis antigens pertussis toxin and filamentous haemagglutinin were not dete cted until after this period. The coughing rat model of pertussis resembles the human disease in the relationship between the time course of infection and cough production.