Review and prospect of 50 years in the field of pertussis research based on bibliometrics and knowledge map

LI Li; AI Hongjun; MA Yu; PEI Tingting; FU Qiangqiang

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1007-8134.2025.04.015

Abstract：Objective This study systematically analyzes and visualizes the main research hotspots and trends in the field of pertussis research through bibliometrics and knowledge map methods,summarizes the research directions and knowledge framework in this field,and provides guidance and reference for subsequent research.Methods Pertussis-related literature published between January 1,1975,and December 31,2024,was retrieved from PubMed,the Web of Science Core Collection,and Scopus.The bibliometric software VOSviewer(version 1.6.18)and R software Bibliometrix package were used to systematically analyze the research authors,institutions,countries,high impact journals,highly cited literature,and keywords,in order to summarize the research hotspots,frontiers,and trends in the field of pertussis research.Results A total of 89 543 articles were initially retrieved,of which 26 651 articles were included after merging,deduplication,and screening.From the research trend,the overall publication volume in the field of pertussis showed a fluctuating upward trend;The researcher with the highest number of publications is Wang Y,with 156 articles.Fifteen thousand and twenty-nine institutions participated in publishing papers,with 1 320 institutions publishing more than 10 papers.The institution with the highest total publication volume was GlaxoSmithKline with 583 papers,and the University of California System ranked second with 527 papers.However,its total citation score was the highest at 13 955,indicating the highest overall influence;The top three countries and regions in terms of publication volume are USA(19 699),Japan(4 485),and France(4 039);The journal with the highest publication volume is Vaccine,with 2 146 articles and the highest influence;Through the analysis of the keyword clustering map results,it was found that the literature in the field of pertussis research has 2 main directions:the basic research on the toxicity and pathogenic mechanism of pertussis in the early stage,and the vaccine related research in the later stage.Conclusions As a global infectious disease,pertussis has mainly focused on basic research on its toxicity and pathogenic mechanisms in the early stage,and gradually shifted its research focus to pertussis vaccine related research.Given that pertussis will continue to exist in the foreseeable future,the peak age of onset for pertussis has shifted from infancy to adolescents and adults who have not received strengthened vaccinations.Omission and false positives,mutations in key bacterial sites,and the importance of adolescents and adults as sources of infection have not been given enough attention.Therefore,the main research directions for pertussis in the future should focus on improving disease surveillance systems,paying attention to bacterial mutations for drug resistance,accelerating vaccine upgrades and development,and optimizing immunization strategies for children,adults,and pregnant women.