Pertussis toxin Pertussis toxin Pertussis toxin (PT) is a protein-based AB-type exotoxin produced by the bacterium "Bordetella pertussis", which causes whooping cough. PT is involved in the colonization of the respiratory tract and the establishment of infection. Research suggests PT may have a therapeutic role in treating a number of common human ailments, including hypertension, viral inhibition, and autoimmune inhibition. PT clearly plays a central role in the pathogenesis of pertussis although this was discovered only in the early 1980s. The appearance of pertussis is quite recent, compared with other epidemic infectious diseases. The earliest mention of pertussis, or whooping cough, is
Blount's disease Blount's disease Blount's disease is a growth disorder of the tibia (shin bone) that causes the lower leg to angle inward, resembling a bowleg. It is also known as "tibia vara". It is named after Walter Putnam Blount (1900–1992), an American pediatric orthopedic surgeon. It has also been known as Mau-Nilsonne Syndrome, after C. Mau and H. Nilsonne, who published early case reports of the condition. Bowing of one or both legs that may: Failure to treat Blount's disease may lead to progressive deformity.Blount's disease may come back after surgery, especially in younger children. Because of the bowing, a leg-length