Whooping Cough Research Paper
Rebecca Natalus
6th Period
Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
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 that follows a fit of coughs. 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 including the pertussis toxin and since it can be transmitted through droplets, it can go from person to person making it highly contagious. When the infected person coughs or sneezes, the droplets in the air can be taken in by anyone nearby.
Pertussis has 3 stages. The first stage is known as the catarrhal stage which last from one to two weeks. The symptoms at this stage mimic an upper respiratory infection. In which case, one starts to experience a runny nose, sneezing, a fever that is low-grade, and a cough typical to a common cold. Since, the …show more content…
A culture of the bacterium, Bordetella pertussis, from the nasal secretions by swabbing the posterior nasopharynx with a nasopharyngeal swab is the main test for diagnosis. The swab is then place in a tube called a Regan-Lowe transport tube because it has an antibiotic called cephalexin that can prevent the overgrowth of the normal nasal flora. It can be used for cultures and the polymerase chain reaction test (PCR) that can analyze sections of DNA. The tube, with the swab, is then transported to the lab for testing. A blood test can also be used to diagnose infection. If there is a high number of white blood cells, that will indicate infection. This is a general test but is helpful for diagnosing
6th Period
Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
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 that follows a fit of coughs. 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 including the pertussis toxin and since it can be transmitted through droplets, it can go from person to person making it highly contagious. When the infected person coughs or sneezes, the droplets in the air can be taken in by anyone nearby.
Pertussis has 3 stages. The first stage is known as the catarrhal stage which last from one to two weeks. The symptoms at this stage mimic an upper respiratory infection. In which case, one starts to experience a runny nose, sneezing, a fever that is low-grade, and a cough typical to a common cold. Since, the …show more content…
A culture of the bacterium, Bordetella pertussis, from the nasal secretions by swabbing the posterior nasopharynx with a nasopharyngeal swab is the main test for diagnosis. The swab is then place in a tube called a Regan-Lowe transport tube because it has an antibiotic called cephalexin that can prevent the overgrowth of the normal nasal flora. It can be used for cultures and the polymerase chain reaction test (PCR) that can analyze sections of DNA. The tube, with the swab, is then transported to the lab for testing. A blood test can also be used to diagnose infection. If there is a high number of white blood cells, that will indicate infection. This is a general test but is helpful for diagnosing