Pertussis Infection in Adults

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by Bordetella pertussis, a fastidious gram-negative coccobacillus that is a human pathogen without known animal or environmental reservoirs. There are 8 additional known Bordetella species, 3 of which can cause respiratory illness in humans: B parapertussis (which causes infection clinically indistinguishable from pertussis), B bronchiseptica, and B holmesii.