What is Pertussis?
Whooping cough is an infectious disease. This condition is universal distribution of endemic type. The disease occurs almost exclusively in childhood, although cases have been reported in adults not typical. The newborn is likely because the maternal antibodies are not protective and the incidence increases from the first months of life as age advances.
In poorly sanitized means there is a greater number of cases at an early age: newborns and infants. Mortality and morbidity are higher in the female half.
What causes it and how to get it?
Whooping cough is caused by a bacterium, Bordetella pertussis, but also can cause the parapertusis and Bordetella Bordetella bronchioseptica. It has been shown that some viruses Adenovirus serotypes can produce clinical and hematological identical to those of pertussis. And it suggests that other viruses can cause as citamegalovirus. Based on the above to pertussis is considered a syndrome and a case in which no etiologic agent has demonstrated the syndrome.
The source of infection is given by the respiratory secretions of infected persons. The mechanism of transmission is direct contact and the period of infectiousness in the case of bordetella is mainly during the catarrhal stage and the beginning of the paroxysmal, which given a total period of infectiousness of approximately six weeks. In the case of adenovirus infectivity lasts a maximum of ten days.
The pathogen Bordetella exert their effect in the respiratory mucosa by toxins.