Causal agent
Whooping cough is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It was first identified by a pure culture by Jules Bordet and Octave Gengou in Paris in 1900. (Guiso, 2009). This bacteria belongs to the genus Bordetella in the family Alcaligenaceae” (Finger and Von Koen, 1996). B. pertussis is a small, rod-shaped, coccoid, or ovoid gram-negative bacterium that is encapsulated and does not produce spores (Finger and Von Koen, 1996). Also this bacterium is a strict parasitic microbe as it cannot survive outside its host. Additionally, the bacterium must be in a rich oxygen type of environment since it is a strict aerobe. It does not have flagella or cilia which makes them non-motile organisms. B. pertussis like many other organism,
Whooping cough is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It was first identified by a pure culture by Jules Bordet and Octave Gengou in Paris in 1900. (Guiso, 2009). This bacteria belongs to the genus Bordetella in the family Alcaligenaceae” (Finger and Von Koen, 1996). B. pertussis is a small, rod-shaped, coccoid, or ovoid gram-negative bacterium that is encapsulated and does not produce spores (Finger and Von Koen, 1996). Also this bacterium is a strict parasitic microbe as it cannot survive outside its host. Additionally, the bacterium must be in a rich oxygen type of environment since it is a strict aerobe. It does not have flagella or cilia which makes them non-motile organisms. B. pertussis like many other organism,