Pertussis is spread by contact with airborne discharges from the and serological methods.
Treatment of pertussis with
Antibiotic s (often
Erythromycin ,
Azithromycin ,
Clarithromycin or
Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole ) results in the person becoming less infectious but probably does not significantly alter the outcome of the disease. Close contacts who receive appropriate antibiotics (''chemoprophylaxis'') during the 7–21 day incubation period may be protected from developing symptomatic disease.
Pertussis s are often given in combination with
Tetanus and
Diphtheria immunizations, at ages 2, 4, and 6 months, and later at 15–18 months and 4–6 years.
Traditionally, pertussis vaccines are not given after age seven, as the frequency of side effects associated with the immunization tends to increase with age. The most serious side-effects of immunization are s and
Hypotonic episodes. An acellular vaccine preparation for older individuals is available in
Canada and
Europe , and two such products are being evaluated for their safety in adolescents and adults in the
United States ; a
Food And Drug Administration decision was approved for use of the Adacel vaccine for 11-64 year olds in
August 2005 .
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Pertussis is much milder in
Adult s than in children and many cases go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. People may suffer from ''B. pertussis'' infection more than once in their life.
This disease is one of several that ravaged
Native American populations after
Europeans colonized the New World.
The
Chinese call this disease the '100 Days Cough' due to the length that it lasts among most people.
''B. pertussis'' expresses several virulence factors, including:
Pertussis Toxin , an
Adenylate Cyclase toxin, filamentous
Hemagglutinin , a
Trachea l
Cytotoxin ,
Fimbriae , and
Pertactin .
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