|
( Bordetella pertussis)
Bordetella pertussis is a Gram-negative, aerobic coccobacillus of the genus Bordetella, and the causative agent of pertussis or whooping cough. Unlike B. bronchiseptica, B. pertussis is non-motile. There does not appear to be a zoonotic reservoir for B. pertussis—humans are its only host. The bacterium is spread by coughing and by nasal drops. The incubation period is 7-14 days. The infection occurs most with children under the age of one when they are immunized or children with faded immunity, normally around the age 11 through 18. The signs and symptoms are similar to a common cold runny nose, sneezing, mild cough, and low-grade fever. After a spell, they might make a “whooping” sound when breathing in or vomit. Adults have milder symptoms, like prolonged coughing without the “whoop.” The patient becomes most contagious during the catarrhal stage of infection, normally 2 weeks after the coughing begins. It may become airborne when the person coughs, sneezes, or laughs. Pertussis vaccine is part of the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis) immunization. The paroxysmal cough precedes a crowing inspiratory sound characteristic of pertussis. Infants less than 6 months may not have the typical whoop. A coughing spell may last a minute or more, producing cyanosis, apnoea and seizures. A prolonged cough may be irritating and sometimes a disabling cough may go undiagnosed in adults for many months.
|
Bordetella pertussis Subcategories
Bordetella pertussis Articles
|
|
