Bordetella

Bordetella () is a genus of small (0.2 – 0.7 μm), Gram-negative, coccobacilli bacteria of the phylum Pseudomonadota. Bordetella species, with the exception of B. petrii, are obligate aerobes, as well as highly fastidious, or difficult to culture. All species can infect humans. The first three species to be described (B. pertussis, B. parapertussis, B. bronchiseptica) are sometimes referred to as the 'classical species'. Two of these (B. pertussis and B. bronchiseptica) are also motile.

There are about 16 different species of Bordetella likely descending from ancestors who lived in soil and/or water environments. B. pertussis and occasionally B. parapertussis cause pertussis (whooping cough) in humans, and some B. parapertussis strains only colonize sheep. It has also been known to cause bronchitis in cats and bronchopneumonia in pigs.