Pregnancy Journals Recalls Safety Shopping Sleep Site Map Shop. For College Pertussis Highly contagious infection of the respiratory tract and lungs caused by Bordetella pertussis .
Pertussis produces a cough that is characteristic of the infection.
People with this infection take a rapid breath in, which causes a whooping sound and then go into another bout of coughing. This pattern of coughing and whooping inspirations has led to the nickname whooping cough. Infants are particularly prone to severe infections. In them the infection can be severe enough to require a respirator and also affect the brain, leading to life-long impairment. An outbreak of 32 confirmed and probable cases recently occurred among students in a private, Minnesota school.