Bordetella pertussis Bordetella pertussis Bordetella pertussis is a Gram-negative, aerobic, pathogenic, encapsulated coccobacillus of the genus "Bordetella", and the causative agent of pertussis or whooping cough. Unlike "B. bronchiseptica", "B. pertussis" is not motile. Its virulence factors include pertussis toxin, filamentous hæmagglutinin, pertactin, fimbria, and tracheal cytotoxin. The bacterium is spread by airborne droplets; its incubation period is 9–10 days on average (range 6–20 days). Humans are the only known reservoir for "B. pertussis". The complete "B. pertussis" genome of 4,086,186 base pairs was published in 2003. Pertussis is an infection of the respiratory system characterized by a “whooping” sound when the
Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease (VKH), also known as Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada syndrome, uveomeningitis syndrome and uveomeningoencephalitic syndrome, is a multisystem disease of presumed autoimmune cause, that affects pigmented tissues, which have melanin. The most significant manifestation is bilateral, diffuse uveitis, which affects the eye. VKH may variably also involve the inner ear with effects on hearing, the skin, and the meninges of the central nervous system. The disease is characterised by bilateral diffuse uveitis, with pain, redness and blurring of vision. The eye symptoms may be accompanied by a varying constellation of systemic symptoms, such as auditory (tinnitus, vertigo, and hypoacusis), neurological