Limited response of primary nasal epithelial cells to Bordetella pertussis infection

Bordetella pertussis is a Gram-negative coccobacillus that causes whooping cough or pertussis, a respiratory disease that has recently experienced a resurgence. Upon entering the respiratory tract, B. pertussis colonizes the airway epithelium and attaches to ciliated cells. Here, we used primary human nasal epithelial cells (hNECs) cultured at the air-liquid interface, and investigated their transcriptomic response after infection with the B. pertussis B1917. We also analyzed role of the type III secretion system effector protein BteA in modulating this response.