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Bordetella pertussis is a Gram-negative, aerobic, pathogenic, encapsulated coccobacillus of the genus Bordetella. It is the causative agent of pertussis or "whooping cough". When an infected individual coughs or sneezes, the bacteria travels through the air. Thus making pertussis an extremely contagious disease. Bordetella pertussis is a human bacterium. It does not infect animals, nor are animals a direct source of infection. Symptoms of pertussis may develop 7-10 days after infection. Symptoms include: accumulated mucus in the throat, uncontrollable cough, high-pitched or "whooping" sound when a breath is taken after cough, vomiting due to severe cough, and extreme fatigue. Pertussis is treated with antibiotics and those close to someone infected may be prescribed preventative antibiotics. Pertussis may also be prevented by the DTP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis) vaccine.