1 in 6 cases of whooping cough are caused by this ‘hidden’ respiratory pathogen

A pathogen similar to Bordetella pertussis is responsible for as many one in six cases of whooping cough, Australian infectious disease specialists have confirmed. Bordetella holmesii causes a respiratory infection similar to pertussis but mostly in adolescents rather than under fives, researchers at the University of Sydney say. The novel pathogen is routinely misdiagnosed as pertussis ...