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The disease was recognizably described as early as 1578, and its causative organism, Bordetella pertussis, was isolated in pure culture in 1906 by Jules Bordet and Octave Gengou . The complete B. pertussis genome of 4,086,186 base pairs was sequenced in 2002.

The disease is characterized by a cough, fever, sneezing, and runny nose. After several weeks the cough changes character, with paroxysms of coughing followed by an inspiratory "whooping" sound. Coughing fits may be followed by vomiting, which in severe cases leads to malnutrition. Other complications of the disease include pneumonia, encephalitis, and secondary bacterial superinfection.

The disease is spread by contact with airborne discharges from the mucous membranes of infected people. Treatment of the disease with antibioticAn antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. Antibiotics are one class of "antimicrobials", a larger group which also includes anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic drugs. They are relatively harmless to the host, and therefors (often erythromycinErythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic which has an antimicrobial spectrum similar or slightly wider to that of penicillin, and is often used for people who have an allergy to penicillins. For respiratory tract infections, it has better coverage of atypic or chloramphenicolChloramphenicol is an antibiotic that was derived from the bacterium Streptomyces venezuelae and is now produced synthetically. Chloramphenicol is effective against a wide variety of microorganisms, but due to serious side-effects (e. damage to the bone m) results in the person becoming less infectious but probably does not significantly alter the outcome of the disease.

Pertussis vaccines were initially formulated in 1926 as whole-cell preparations but are now available as acellular preparations, which cause fewer side effects. They offer protection for only a few years, and are given so that immunity lasts through childhood, the time of greatest exposure and greatest risk. The immunizations are often given in combination with tetanusTetanus is a serious and often fatal disease caused by the exotoxin tetanospasmin which is produced by the Gram-positive, anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani''. It was first documented by Hippocrates, and records dating back to the 5th century BCE prov and diphtheriaThe clinical case definition of diphtheria is: An upper respiratory tract illness characterized by sore throat, low-grade fever, and an adherent membrane of the tonsil(s), pharynx, and/or nose. A milder form of diphtheria can also effect the skin. Diphthe immunizations, at ages 2, 4, and 6 months, and later at 15-18 months and 4-6 years. The acellular vaccine preparations are being evaluated for their safety in adolescents and adults. Traditionally, Pertussis vaccines are not given after age seven, as the frequency of side effects associated with the immunization increased with age. The most serious side-effects of immunization are neurologicalNeurology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Surgical operations on the nervous system are done by specialist neurosurgeons. Neurological disorders are disorders of the central nervous system ( br: they include seizureThis article is about the medical condition. In law, seizure can also refer to taking possession of an item: see search and seizure. Seizures (or convulsions are temporary alterations in brain functions due to abnormal electrical activity of a group of brs and hypotonic episodes.

The disease is much milder in adults than in children and many cases go undiagnosed.

Most human cases of pertussis are caused by B. pertussis, initially thought to be the only cause of human pertussis: some cases, however, are caused by a related bacterium, Bordetella parapertussis . Similar syndromes are caused in animals by Bordetella bronchisepticaBordetella bronchiseptica is a bacterium that can cause infectious bronchitis. External links . and in birds by Bordetella avium and Bordetella hinzii .

Bordetella pertussis elaborates several virulence factors, including: pertussis toxin, an adenylate cyclase toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin, a tracheal cytotoxin , fimbriae, and pertactin .