Octave Gengou

Belgian bacteriologist

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June 29, 2026

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Octave Gengou was a Belgian physician and bacteriologist who collaborated with his brother-in-law, Jules Bordet, at the Pasteur Institute of Brussels. Their research significantly contributed to the development of the complement-fixation test, a diagnostic technique used to detect infectious agents like those causing typhoid, tuberculosis, and syphilis. Together, they also discovered the bacterium responsible for whooping cough, now known as Bordetella pertussis. Gengou's work was integral to the foundational advancements in serology and the understanding of immune reactions in body fluids.1

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Jules Bordet
…continued his immunity research with Octave Gengou, his brother-in-law. Their work led to the development of the complement-fixation test, a diagnostic technique that was used to detect the presence of infectious agents in the blood, including those that cause typhoid, tuberculosis, and, most notably, syphilis (the Wassermann test). After discovering…
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…continued his immunity research with Octave Gengou, his brother-in-law. Their work led to the development of the complement-fixation test, a diagnostic technique that was used to detect the presence of infectious agents in the blood, including those that cause typhoid, tuberculosis, and, most notably, syphilis (the Wassermann test). After discovering…
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whooping cough
Discovery
French bacteriologists Jules Bordet and Octave Gengou isolated the bacterium that causes the disease. It was first called the Bordet-Gengou bacillus, later Haemophilus pertussis, and still later Bordetella pertussis.
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French bacteriologists Jules Bordet and Octave Gengou isolated the bacterium that causes the disease. It was first called the Bordet-Gengou bacillus, later Haemophilus pertussis, and still later Bordetella pertussis.
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