CASE BASED REVIEW OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY
Bordetella pertussis
Dr Tadayo Hashimoto M.D.
Professor
Department of Microbiology & Immunology
What are the clinical symptoms of a typical case of whooping cough?
- Incubation period: 1-2 weeks (can be as long as 20 days)
- Catarrhal stage: 1 to 2 weeks.
- Profuse and mucoid rhinorrhea
- Malaise, fever, mild cough, sneezing and anorexia
- Paroxysmal stage: 1 - 6 weeks
- Fever usually does not occur during paroxysmal stage unless complications are present.
- Paroxysmal coughing characterized by inspiratory whoop following coughing spell (In babies under the age of six months there is usually aroxysmal coughing without the characteristic whoop)
- Lymphocytosis up to 40,000/mm3 is characteristic.
- Convalescent stage: 3 - 4 week
- Some cases of whooping cough do not follow this typical clinical course because of partial immunity, early antibiotic medication and other reasons.
- Complications include bronchopneumonia, hemorrhage, convulsion and encephalopathy.
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