Bordetella pertussis Can Be Motile and Express Flagellum-Like Structures

Abstract

This report provides evidence for motility and expression of flagella by B. pertussis , a bacterium that has been reported as nonmotile since it was first isolated and studied. As with B. bronchiseptica , B. pertussis cells can express and assemble a flagellum-like structure on their surface, which in other organisms has been implicated in several important processes that occur in vivo . The discovery that B. pertussis is motile raises many questions, including those regarding the mechanisms of regulation for flagellar gene and protein expression and, importantly, the role of flagella during infection. This novel observation provides a foundation for further study of Bordetella flagella and motility in the contexts of infection and transmission.