CDC's Pertussis and Diphtheria Laboratory: What It Does

CDC's Pertussis and Diphtheria Laboratory focuses on the bacteria behind pertussis and diphtheria, and keeps extensive culture collections gathered over many years and places.

Diphtheria bacteria growing on a Tinsdale plate. CDC.

The bacteria it studies

• Pertussis-related: Bordetella pertussis, B. parapertussis, B. holmesii and B. bronchiseptica.
• Diphtheria-related: Corynebacterium diphtheriae, C. pseudotuberculosis and C. ulcerans.

Its work

• Research. The laboratory works to improve the diagnosis and surveillance of these infections by developing, evaluating, putting into practice and improving molecular and serologic methods.
• Reference laboratory. It supports U.S. health departments and public health laboratories with isolating and identifying the bacteria from clinical specimens, with outbreak response, and with priority public health concerns.
• International capacity building. It takes part in building and advising on diphtheria and pertussis diagnostics abroad.

Isolation and identification

For Bordetella and Corynebacterium, the laboratory can advise on:

• isolating and identifying the organisms from clinical specimens;
• detecting them by polymerase chain reaction;
• testing serum for IgG antibodies to pertussis toxin;
• characterizing them by next-generation sequencing.

Health departments and public health laboratories can ask for help with isolation, identification and molecular characterization when pertussis or diphtheria is suspected. That help matters: confirming B. pertussis in the laboratory can be difficult, which leads to under-reporting and can undermine prevention programs, surveillance, vaccine effectiveness studies and outbreak management.

Outbreaks and urgent cases

• Outbreaks. Health departments can request CDC's help by asking — through 1-800-CDC-INFO or CDC's online request form — to be connected with the Meningitis, Pertussis, and Diphtheria Epidemiology Branch, which brings in laboratorians and other experts as each outbreak requires.
• Diphtheria toxin. On request, the laboratory tests C. diphtheriae, C. ulcerans and C. pseudotuberculosis isolates for diphtheria toxin using the Elek assay. For a suspected diphtheria case needing help, CDC's Emergency Operations Center can be reached at 770-488-7100.

CDC's Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases has chapters on diphtheria and pertussis with surveillance guidance and instructions for collecting and shipping specimens.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "CDC's Pertussis and Diphtheria Laboratory."