1. The document discusses whooping cough (pertussis), caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It attaches to lung cells and secretes toxins that paralyze cilia and cause inflammation/mucus buildup, resulting in coughing. 2. Infant mortality from whooping cough is high due to underdeveloped immune systems and risk of complications. Herd immunity from vaccines is limited by the disease's contagiousness and waning vaccine effectiveness over time. 3. Reported whooping cough cases are rising due to improved diagnostics, reduced vaccinations, pathogen adaptation, and reduced vaccine effectiveness. The type of vaccine also affects trends, as acellular vaccines used

1. Please answer original forum with a minimum of 250 words
Respond to both students on separate pages with a minimum of
100 words
Please follow directions or I will dispute
Original Forum
Microbes can be involved in diseases of any of our vital organ
systems but of all of them, the most common diseases we see
our physician for treatment is our respiratory system. The
moment we have any difficulty taking in a breath of air, it can
be a life-threatening crisis. Our respiratory system is a perfect
microenvironment for microbes; it is warm, moist, has plenty of
oxygen and a supply of mucus so why do we not have massive
colonies of microbes? Or, do we? Our immune systems spend
much effort protecting our airways but there are a few microbes
that have evolved mechanism to evade our immune systems.
Bordetella pertussis (better known by its disease name,
Whooping cough) is one such Gram-negative bacterium that has
succeeded in causing great pestilence before a vaccine was
discovered. Despite this, some choose not to have the vaccine
and yearly outbreaks of Whooping cough claims the lives of
children each year in the US. Mortality is highest in infants
despite those who have begun their vaccine series. Review
chapter 22 of your textbook on Diseases of the Respiratory
System. Review information on the vaccine for
Whooping Cough
And, the facts about
Whooping cough from the CDC
Upon review of the information sources and your own research,
choose
ONE

2. of the topics to address in exposition forum.
Topic 1.
Defend the resurgence of Whooping cough as due to waning
immunity.
Topic 2.
Present an argument to support lack of vaccination as a cause
for resurgence.Make sure to address these questions in your
exposition; What is the mechanism(s) that Bordetella pertussis
uses to invade epithelial cells in the lungs? Why does this
Gram-negative bacteria cause the characteristic cough that it
does? Why is infant mortality high? What role does herd
immunity play in the spread of an infectious disease like
Whooping cough?
Student Response
Eric
B. pertussis uses an adhesin that attaches to cells which grows
bacteria that produce exotoxins. After the cells have been
invaded, increased levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate
allows for a disruption in cells using their signals. In addition,
the a cytotoxin is produced which results in the accumulation of
mucus in the lungs (Parker, 2016). This is what leads a person
to cough. The requirement for oxygen to able be exchanged in
the lungs through the alveoli are disrupted and by coughing, it
allows for more “force” to be used to help this to happen.The
coccobacillus found in B. pertussis are able to inflame the
airway which causes someone to have a harder time breathing
and especially after they’ve been coughing multiple times
(Parker, 2016). Basically, the multiple causes of the
“whooping” effect are due to the person using more effort to

3. inhale after this period. Infant mortality is high due to their
anatomy and immune responses. Their bodies are not as well
developed as adults or even children which can cause their ribs
to be fractured and also leads to infections which they may have
yet to develop an immunity to (Parker, 2016). This cough is
transmittable through air droplets by an infected individual. Due
to the likeliness of transmission in public, it would be advisable
for a person to distance themselves from the public while they
have it. This would limit the spread of the infectious disease as
it would with others. It is also recommended that children get
vaccinated for this very reason. B. pertussis has been steadily
declining over the years due to vaccinations but is now recently
reemerging due to the lack of these vaccinations (Parker, 2016).
In school environments, playgrounds, and public areas, the
whooping cough can be easily transmitted to other children due
to the lack of their knowledge to understand how it is
transmitted and the bacteria that may be present on their hands
which they can easily spread. What degree are you working
toward? Right now, I am completing this course as a
prerequisite for nursing. It is one of my last classes!What is
your progress in accomplishing your educational goals and what
courses are you starting next month? My educational goals are
coming to a near-end as I have completed many of the courses
that I wanted and I am now looking into a nursing program
which I will apply to shortly after this course. I will be starting
Anatomy and Physiology next month and I am so excited for
that because I know a ton of that information already and it will
be a great refresher. Why did you choose these courses?I chose
these courses because they are required before I can continue
onto my future career.
References
Parker, N. (2016).
Microbiology.
OpenStax. Retrieved 2018

4. Megan
Reported cases of whooping cause are on the rise in
industrialized countries. Mooi et al (2009) have attributed this
to a combination of many factors:
Improved diagnostic techniques
Reduction in vaccinations
Pathogen adaptation
Reduced effectiveness of vaccines
According to He (2016), the type of vaccine used has also
shown to have an effect on the resurgence of whooping cough.
The most commonly used vaccines for whooping cough in
industrialized countries are acellular vaccines (ACVs). Whole
cell vaccines (WCVs) are more commonly used in developing
countries. As the whooping cough virus mutates, these vaccines
are becoming less effective, but the virus mutations are
dependent on which type of vaccine (ACV vs WCV) were used.
Hamborsky, Kroger, and Wolfe (2015) state that in recent years,
the cases of whooping cough in fully vaccinated adolescents and
adults is on the rise, indicating that a large part of the increase
in whooping cough may be due to pathogen adaptation.
B. pertussis
attaches to the cilia in the epithelia cells of the lung. Once
there, it secretes a toxin which causes the cilia to become
immobilized. It also causes inflammation which leads to the
buildup of mucus and phlegm. This buildup of mucus in the
tracheobronchial tree is what causes the characteristic coughing

5. associated with
B. pertussis
(Hamborsky, Kroger, & Wolfe, 2015)
.
One study cited by the CDC found that infant deaths represented
83% of deaths due to whooping cough. The infant mortality rate
is so high because infants are more likely to develop secondary
complications than others who contract whooping cough. These
complications include secondary bacterial pneumonia, seizures,
encephalopathy, pneumothorax, hernias, and more (Hamborsky,
Kroger, & Wolfe, 2015).According to the Center for Disease
Control (CDC), herd immunity is not a reliable source of
immunity against whooping cough for a few different reasons.
First, pertussis is very contagious. Second, the effectiveness of
the vaccine decreases over time. Once vaccinated does not mean
forever invincible. Finally, ACVs may not be reliable at
preventing colonization of
B. pertussis,
meaning it could still be spread even if the symptoms are mild
or nonexistent (National Center for Immunization and
Respiratory Diseases, Division of Bacterial Diseases, 2017)
.
References
Hamborsky, J., Kroger, A., & Wolfe, C. (2015).
Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
(13 ed.). Washington D.C.: Public Health Foundation.
Retrieved November 6, 2018, from
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/pert.htmlHe, Q.
(2016, August). Evolution of Bordetella Pertussis.
The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 35
(8), 915-917. doi:10.1097/INF.0000000000001218Mooi, F. R.,
van Loo, I. H., van Gent, M., He, Q., Bart, M. J., Heuvelman,
K. J., de Greeff, S. C., Diavatopoulos, D., Teunis, P.,
Nagelkerke, N., … Mertsola, J. (2009). Bordetella pertussis

6. strains with increase toxin production associated with pertussis
resurgence.
Emerging infectious diseases, 15
(8), 1206-13.National Center for Immunization and Respiratory
Diseases, Division of Bacterial Diseases. (2017, August 7).
Pertussis Frequently Asked Questions
. Retrieved November 6, 2018, from Center for Disease Control
and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/about/faqs.html