Pertussis is a respiratory tract infection that is very contagious. It got its name because of the sharp high-pitched intake of air that makes a “whooping” sound. It was originally considered a childhood disease but now it affects those children that are too young to have completed vaccination and those who have slowly lost the immunity to it. This can cause death in infants, which is why pregnant women should be vaccinated against it. Whooping cough is caused by the bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. It produces many virulence factors like the pertussis toxin and since it can be transmitted through droplets, it can go from person to person making it highly contagious.
