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Whooping Cough: Bordetella Pertussis And Parapertussis

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Whooping Cough: Bordetella Pertussis And Parapertussis
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is characterized by paroxysmal cough with or without whoops, leukocytosis, hypoglycemia, histamine sensitivity, immobilization and/or damage of the cilia of the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory tract, alveolitis and bronchopneumonia. Bordetella pertussis and parapertussis is the bacterium responsible for “whooping cough”. Both have caused outbreaks in humans and produce similar virulence factors. B. pertussis and parapertussis are closely related species and it has been well documented by DNA hybridization studies. Although both species produce a number of characterized virulence factors, only B. pertussis produces the well-characterized pertussis toxin (PTX). B. parapertussis carries the

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