Antigenic Relationship Between Serotype-Specific Agglutinogen and Fimbriae of <i>Bordetella pertussis</i>

Abstract

The widely held view that the filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) of Bordetella pertussis is derived from fimbriae (pili) is not supported by studies of fimbriation and FHA content of the organism. Fimbriae do not label specifically with antibody to FHA in immuno-electron microscopy but do label with antibody to serotype-specific agglutinogen.