Nickname: Pertussis

Morphology: Gram-negative coccobacillus

Habitat: The respiratory tract of some healthy adults can serve as a reservoir for this bacterium.

Disease or illness: Whooping cough and pneumonia

Who is at risk: Infants and young children who have not been immunized

Avoidance techniques: Frequent hand washing when handling infants and children; childhood immunizations (pertussis vaccine is the “P” in DPT shots given to babies)

“When I’m running through your veins, you’ll be coughing out your brains”