Late Breaking Abstract - Seroprevalence of Bordetella pertussis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients

Background: Pertussis is under-recognised and under-reported in adults and COPD patients. It may play a role in the acute exacerbation of COPD, hence it is necessary to better understand the pertussis burden in these groups and its control. Aim: We assessed the seroprevalence of B. pertussis in COPD patients aged 40–85 years from the AERIS study (NCT01360398, UK). Methods: Serological testing for B. pertussis antibodies was performed on sera collected in 2013, by ELISA, for IgG antibodies against pertussis toxoid (anti-PT; shown here) and against filamentous haemagglutinin. Anti-PT IgG antibody titres ≥50 IU/mL indicate exposure, while anti-PT IgG titres ≥70– Results: Overall, among the 87 COPD patients, the geometric mean concentration of anti-PT antibodies was 12.4 IU/mL (95% CI: 9.6–16.1). 12 patients had evidence of exposure, 8 of them had anti-PT IgG titres between 50– Conclusions: This study shows a seroprevalence of pertussis in >13% of COPD patients. During 2009–2018, the reported rates for pertussis diagnoses in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink were Funding: GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA