Why is whooping cough a bacterium?

B. Pertussis: Bortadella pertussis causes whooping cough. Currently it is recommended to be immunized against pertussis in the pediatric population and once after age 19 (http://www.Cdc.Gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/adult/adult-schedule.Pdf) whooping cough is treated with antibiotics and measures to support breathing such as oxygen and breathing treatments.

Odd wording: Whooping cough is a clinical disease pattern marked in some by a whop while catching a breath.It is caused by a bacterium, Bordetella pertussis. The germ gets into the airways and triggers damage to the inner linings resulting in a variable pattern of disease. Most deaths occur under the age of 6 mo, but it can be a wretched disease.In adults it carries the nick name "100 days cough"