Return of the forgotten nightmare: Bordetella pertussis uses a more negative Gibbs energy of metabolism to outcompete its host organism

Abstract

Pertussis (whooping cough) has been nearly eradicated during the 20th century, first of all due to an organized and comprehensive vaccination campaign that lasted for decades. Generations of doctors educated in Serbia (and other countries) rarely had an opportunity to see the clinical picture of pertussis. However, during 2023, the number of registered cases of pertussis in Serbia has increased several times. This is why the health authorities were forced to declare danger of an epidemic. During 2023, in Belgrade, around 1000 cases were registered. During the two months of 2024, 400 cases were registered. Some of them have ended with lethal outcome. This paper reports for the first time the biosynthesis reaction and thermodynamic properties of biosynthesis (enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs energy) of Bordetella pertussis, the cause of whooping cough. Moreover, a mechanistic model of multiplication of B. pertussis was developed. The mechanistic model was related to the pathogenesis of pertussis.