Pertussis and Permanent Immunity

[seaheroine]

So, I have a question. I'm rereading some vax books, including Aviva Romm's, and she states that a natural pertussis infection will confer permanent immunity.

However, I've read over and over on these boards that this is not the case -- that one can catch pertussis multiple times.

So, which is it? Thanks for any direction!

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by seaheroine

So, I have a question. I'm rereading some vax books, including Aviva Romm's, and she states that a natural pertussis infection will confer permanent immunity.

However, I've read over and over on these boards that this is not the case -- that one can catch pertussis multiple times.

So, which is it? Thanks for any direction!

some older research like this shows immunity ranges from 4-20 yrs after a natural infection. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15876927

The latest research shows that a natural pertsussis infection is likely to give immunity for more like 30 years. http://www.plospathogens.org/article...l.ppat.1000647

Our estimates suggest the average duration of immunity is much longer than is currently thought (at least 30 years), but that some individuals would lose immunity quite rapidly.

[seaheroine]

That is just what I was looking for. Thanks so much!