[Hooping cough in adults, think about it!]

We report the case of a 47 year old patient who had been suffering from persistent cough for more than three weeks. Patient coughed predominantly during night time, without fever. The amoxicillin-clavulanic acid initially prescribed was not effective. A series of complementary investigations were performed before serology finally identified Bordetella pertussis infection after two months of symptoms which improved slowly without evident benefit of macrolide treatment. The diagnosis of whooping cough was also established for the wife of the patient with fast resolution of the symptoms after rapid unset of treatment with macrolides.