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Whooping cough (/ ˈ h uː p ɪ ŋ / or / ˈ w uː p ɪ ŋ /), also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable bacterial disease. [1] [10] Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common cold with a runny nose, fever, and mild cough, but these are followed by two or three months of severe coughing fits. [1]
Cases of whooping cough are surging across the country. Doctors share symptoms, how to prevent pertussis, vaccination information, and treatments amid outbreak.
Bordetella pertussis is a Gram-negative, aerobic, pathogenic, encapsulated coccobacillus bacterium of the genus Bordetella, and the causative agent of pertussis or whooping cough. Its virulence factors include pertussis toxin , adenylate cyclase toxin , filamentous haemagglutinin , pertactin , fimbria , and tracheal cytotoxin .
Fortunately, whooping cough is preventable by a series of vaccines that many people receive as an infant called DTaP - which stands for Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis.
Pertussis toxin (PT) is a protein-based AB 5-type exotoxin produced by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, [2] which causes whooping cough. PT is involved in the colonization of the respiratory tract and the establishment of infection. [ 3 ]
Whooping cough has been surging in the United States for months and the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests there are no signs of slowing.
Bordetella parapertussis is a small Gram-negative bacterium of the genus Bordetella that is adapted to colonise the mammalian respiratory tract. [1] Pertussis caused by B. parapertussis manifests with similar symptoms to B. pertussis-derived disease, but in general tends to be less severe. [2]
Whooping cough is often difficult to diagnose because in its early stages, it frequently mimics the common cold, with symptoms including a runny nose, low grade fever and occasional cough. Later ...