Czech Scientists Uncover Whooping Cough Secret in Science

A Molecular Hook Attached for a Century

Over a century after the discovery of the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, it remained a mystery how exactly the causative agent of whooping cough manages to firmly attach itself to the human respiratory tract. This key mechanism has now been revealed by an international research team, in which scientists from the Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences played a crucial role. The results of the study were published in February 2026 in the prestigious scientific journal Science.

Protein FhaB as a Molecular Grappling Hook

The central figure in the discovery is the protein filamentous hemagglutinin (FhaB) — the largest adhesin of the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. For decades, scientists focused on the shorter, so-called "mature" fragment of this protein and assumed that the full length of the molecule did not play a key role. The new study showed that they were wrong.

The researchers demonstrated that FhaB contains a C-terminal domain (FhaB-CT), which is transferred directly into the cells of the respiratory tract and binds there to microtubules inside the ciliary apparatus. The bacterium first attaches to the tips of the cilia, then uses FhaB to "descend" down to the base of the ciliated epithelium — to a place where it is protected from the natural cleansing mechanism of the respiratory tract, the so-called mucociliary escalator.

"It has long been unclear how bacteria attach to respiratory tract cells. We now know that they use FhaB as a molecular grappling hook," described the mechanism co-author Michael Costello from UC Santa Barbara.

Key Role of Czech Scientists

Peter Šebo, Ladislav Bumba, Jana Holubová, Abdul Samad, and Ondřej Staněk from the Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague participated in the research. The Czech group, which is one of the world leaders in research on bordetella pathogens, contributed mainly to the functional analysis of protein domains and to experiments with human nasal epithelia. The study is the result of close collaboration with Christopher Hayes' team from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and researchers from UC Irvine.

Direct Impact on the Development of Vaccines and Therapeutics

The discovery has significant practical implications. Today's whooping cough vaccines do not target the FhaB-CT domain — new findings show that this area of the protein is crucial for infection and at the same time a potentially vulnerable spot for the bacterium. Blocking the binding of FhaB-CT to microtubules could:

• prevent the bacterium from attaching to the respiratory tract,
• serve as a basis for next-generation vaccines with a longer duration of effectiveness,
• inspire the development of anti-infectives that, instead of killing the bacterium, simply prevent its attachment.

Whooping Cough is Returning — Globally and in the Czech Republic

The research comes at a time when the WHO is registering an alarming return of whooping cough. In 2024, almost 977,000 cases were reported worldwide — approximately six times more than in 2023. The increase also affects highly vaccinated countries: Europe recorded over 296,000 cases, the United States more than 35,000. Experts point to waning immunity — weakening protection of existing vaccines — and to the shift of the disease to older age groups.

It is in this context that the Prague discovery gains special urgency: understanding the molecular basis of infection is the first step to stopping the bacterium before it even settles in the host's body.

Conclusion: A Breakthrough After a Century

The publication in Science confirms that Czech microbiology belongs to the world elite. The discovery of the function of FhaB-CT rewrites the textbook view of Bordetella pertussis infection and opens a real path to more effective ways to protect against a disease that still causes hundreds of thousands of serious illnesses each year in the 21st century.