From pertussis to meningococcal disease and back

From pertussis to meningococcal disease and back represents nearly 30 years of research at Porton, first at the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research and latterly as part of the Health Protection Agency. I joined the group lead by Andy Robinson developing an acellular pertussis vaccine and was part of an exciting period that encompassed basic antigen characterisation and pathogenesis studies with the development of an acellular vaccine containing fimbriae. Research then changed to focus on serogroup B meningococcal disease, studying the vaccine potential of iron-regulated proteins and then Neisseria lactamica. The resurgence of pertussis seen in some countries alerted me to the lack of understanding of protective immune responses to Bordetella pertussis infection and disease and this is now an active area of research.