A new bacterium that causes pertussis-like symptoms has been discovered in Russia, Report informs, citing Izvestiya.ru.
According to the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor), the bacterium Bordetella holmesii leads to milder pertussis symptoms.
Russia has already developed a special test capable of detecting new and old pathogens. In this case, the pertussis vaccine does not protect against this illness.
Scientists from several foreign countries have been studying the new bacterium for ten years, but it has not been discovered in Russia before. According to foreign experts, the duration of the disease caused by the new bacterium is 80 days, and it is milder than whooping cough. In this case, no fatalities have been reported after Bordetella holmesii infection.