Which term refers to a highly contagious acute upper respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis?

Which term refers to a highly contagious acute upper respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis?

• A. Pertusis
• B. Polyp
• C. RDS
• D. Stridor

Answer: (A)

Pertussis is the term for the disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. It’s a highly contagious acute upper respiratory infection, classically presenting with severe coughing fits and, in many cases, a characteristic whoop as the person inhales after a coughing spell. The other terms point to different things—polyp is a nasal growth, RDS stands for respiratory distress syndrome, usually in newborns, and stridor is a noisy breath sound from airway obstruction. So pertussis is the correct disease name for this bacterial infection.

Pertussis is the term for the disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. It’s a highly contagious acute upper respiratory infection, classically presenting with severe coughing fits and, in many cases, a characteristic whoop as the person inhales after a coughing spell. The other terms point to different things—polyp is a nasal growth, RDS stands for respiratory distress syndrome, usually in newborns, and stridor is a noisy breath sound from airway obstruction. So pertussis is the correct disease name for this bacterial infection.