Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious disease that is one of the leading causes of vaccine-preventable deaths. There are 30-50 million cases per year, and about 300,000 deaths per year. Virtually all deaths occur in children under one year of age. 90% of all cases occur in developing countries. It is caused by certain species of the bacterium Bordetella - usually B. pertussis, but some cases are caused by B. parapertussis. A disease is any abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person affected or those in contact with the person. ... A bottle and a syringe containing the influenza vaccine. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus_Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Species B. avium B. bronchiseptica B. hinzii B. parapertussis B. pertussis etc. ...

The disease was recognizably described as early as 1578, and B. 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. Events January 31 - Battle of Gemblours - Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese defeat the Dutch. ... Jules Jean Baptiste Vincent Bordet (June 13, 1870 - April 6, 1961) was a Belgian immunologist and microbiologist. ... Genome is also a popular science book by Matt Ridley. ...

The disease is characterized initially by mild respiratory infection symptoms such as cough, sneezing, and runny nose. After one to two 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. Coughing fits gradually diminish over one to two months. Other complications of the disease include pneumonia, encephalitis, pulmonary hypertension, and secondary bacterial superinfection. Cough is also the name of a band, see Cough (band) A cough is a sudden, often repetitive, spasmodic contraction of the thoracic cavity, resulting in violent release of air from the lungs, and usually accompanied by a distinctive sound. ... Malnutrition is a general term for the medical condition in a person or animal caused by an unbalanced diet—either too little or too much food, or a diet missing one or more important nutrients. ... Pneumonia (the ancient Greek word for lungs) is defined as an infection involving the alveoli of the lungs. ... Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain, commonly caused by a viral infection. ...

The disease is spread by contact with airborne discharges from the mucous membranes of infected people. Treatment of the disease with antibiotics (often erythromycin , azithromycin, clarithromycin or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) results in the person becoming less infectious but probably does not significantly alter the outcome of the disease. Close contacts who receive appropriate antibiotics, "chemoprophylaxis", during the 7-21 day incubation period may be protected from developing symptomatic disease. An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. ... Erythromycin 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. ...

Pertussis vaccines were initially formulated in 1926, most notable by Dr. Louis W. Sauer (http://www.enh.org/researchandacademics/research/aboutus/index.asp?id=333) of Northwestern University, 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 tetanus and diphtheria immunizations, at ages 2, 4, and 6 months, and later at 15-18 months and 4-6 years. 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 neurological: they include seizures and hypotonic episodes. An acellular vaccine preparation for older individuals is available in Canada and Europe and two such products are being evaluated for their safety in adolescents and adults in the US; an FDA decision is expected in 2005. A bottle and a syringe containing the influenza vaccine. ... Tetanus is a serious and often fatal disease caused by the exotoxin tetanospasmin which is produced by the Gram-positive, anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani. ... 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. ... Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems. ... This article is about the medical condition. ...

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

Bordetella pertussis elaborates several virulence factors, including: pertussis toxin, an adenylate cyclase toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin, a tracheal cytotoxin, fimbriae, and pertactin. For a list of biologically injurious substances, including toxins and other materials, as well as their effects, see poison. ... Adenylate cyclase (EC 4. ... Hemagglutinin is a substance that will bring about the agglutination of erythrocytes. ... A fimbria (plural fimbriae) is an appendage in many gram-negative bacteria that is thinner than a flagellum. ... Pertactin (PRN) is a virulence factor of . ...