Over the last century, interest in Bordetella pertussis and whooping cough has abounded at the same time as misunderstanding and misinformation about it proliferates and case numbers fluctuate. By the mid-twentieth century, B. pertussis was recognized and accepted as the cause of whooping cough, and newly developed vaccines were demonstrated to effectively prevent pertussis in children. Thousands of B. pertussis studies have since been carried out in mice, but over time further investigation has shown that the illness and its pathology in murine models is dissimilar from that of humans. Nevertheless, the findings in mice have led to the assumption by many Bordetella molecular microbiologists that their observations relate to human illness. The epidemiology B. pertussis infection is still not well understood by most epidemiologists and pertussis experts.

This book explores all aspects of B. pertussis and other Bordetella species that cause cough illnesses. It addresses the immunology, bacteriology, pathology, and serology, as well as the clinical epidemiology, public health considerations, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the clinical illnesses. The historical and evolutionary aspects of B. pertussis, B. holmesii and B. bronchiseptica infection and illness are also presented. The first complete book on whooping cough to be published in 80 years, this text is essential reading for medical students, researchers, and practitioners.