PGIMER study finds surge in chest infections from little-known bacterium in north India
Chandigarh: A new study by the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has raised concern over a sharp rise in chest infections caused by a lesser-known bacterium, Bordetella holmesii, which mimics whooping cough in northern India.
The research, titled “Emergence of Bordetella holmesii–Associated Pertussis-Like Illness, Northern India, 2019–2023,” was published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It analysed 935 suspected cases of pertussis, a highly contagious respiratory disease commonly known as whooping cough.
According to the study, around 37% of the infections were found to be caused by Bordetella holmesii, overtaking the more familiar Bordetella pertussis, which was earlier the dominant cause. The most notable surge occurred in 2023, mainly among children aged 5 to 10 years in northern India.
Data from PGIMER’s ongoing surveillance programme since 2015 shows that while B.pertussis infections have declined from 15–20% to just 2–5%, B. holmesii infections have risen sharply, indicating a shifting pattern in the causes of whooping cough-like respiratory illnesses in the region.
The long-term research was led by Dr. Vikas Gautam’s laboratory at PGIMER, in collaboration with Dr. Prabhu Patil of CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh.
Pertussis remains a major public health challenge across Asia, particularly in India and China, affecting infants and young children the most. After a dip during the Covid-19 pandemic, cases have surged again — India alone has reported around 13.6 million cases, while China’s incidence has risen from 0.13 per 1,00,000 in 2013 to 2.15 per 1,00,000 in 2019, with over 58,000 cases recorded by early 2024.
The PGIMER study highlights the emergence of new bacterial pathogens and underlines the institute’s growing role in identifying evolving disease patterns. The research follows PGIMER’s earlier discovery of Stenotrophomonas sepilia, a previously unknown bacterium linked to sepsis.
(with inputs from agencies)
