The currently used pertussis vaccines are highly efficacious; however, neonates are susceptible to whooping cough up to the sixth month. In agreement, DTP-immunized neonate mice were not protected against intracerebral challenge with Bordetella pertussis. Neonate mice immu-nized with either DTP or a recombinant-BCG strain expressing the genetically detoxified S1 subunit of pertussis toxin do not show a humoral immune response against PT. On the other hand, rBCG-Pertussis induces higher PT-specific IFN-g production and an increase in both IFN-g þ and TNF-a þ -CD4 þ -T cells than the whole cell pertussis vaccine and confers protection against a lethal intracerebral challenge with B. pertussis. Ó 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.