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Pertussis Infection in Adults

Author/s: 
Paul B. Cornia, Benjamin A. Lipsky

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by Bordetella pertussis, a fastidious gram-negative coccobacillus that is a human pathogen without known animal or environmental reservoirs. There are 8 additional known Bordetella species, 3 of which can cause respiratory illness in humans: B parapertussis (which causes infection clinically indistinguishable from pertussis), B bronchiseptica, and B holmesii.

Keywords 
Pertussis Bordetella pertussis whooping cough

Chapter 16: Pertussis

Author/s: 
Hamborsky, Jennifer, Kroger, Andrew, Wolfe, Charles S.

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is an acute infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Outbreaks of pertussis were first described in the 16th century, and the organism was first isolated in 1906.

In the 20th century, pertussis was one of the most common childhood diseases and a major cause of childhood mortality in the United States. Before the availability of pertussis vaccine in the 1940s, more than 200,000 cases of pertussis were reported annually. Since widespread use of the vaccine began, incidence has decreased more than 80% compared with the prevaccine era.

Pertussis remains a major health problem among children in developing countries, with 195,000 deaths resulting from the disease in 2008 (World Health Organization estimate).

Keywords 
whooping cough vaccination antibiotics
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