What is the origin of whooping cough?

The origin of whooping cough is believed to be ancient, but its exact origins are unknown. It is thought to have spread widely throughout Europe and Asia even before the 1st century. The earliest written record of whooping cough is found in a Chinese medical text from the 6th century. During the 16th century, whooping cough appeared in the Americas, likely brought by European explorers and colonizers. The term "whooping cough" first appears in English in 1658, and the bacterium that causes the disease, *Bordetella pertussis*, was identified in 1906 by the French bacteriologist Jules Bordet and his colleague Octave Gengou.