Whooping cough (pertussis) is a respiratory disease caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis.

Pertussis is an acute, highly contagious respiratory disease characterized by coughing that ends in a loud whooping inspiration. It occurs primarily in infants and in children less than 4 years of age who have not been immunized. The causative organism is Bordetella pertussis, and a similar organism, B. parapertussis, causes a less severe form of the disease called parapertussis.

Pertussis is now a...