Which symptom set best matches pertussis?

• A. Coughing fits with a "whooping" sound and fever
• B. Barrel chest, pursed-lip breathing, cyanosis, and dyspnea on exertion
• C. High fever, drooling, stridor, and tripod position in a child
• D. Cough, runny/stuffy nose, and sore throat

Answer: (A)

Pertussis presents with paroxysmal coughing spells that are often followed by a high-pitched inspiratory whoop, and fever can be present early in the illness. This combination is distinctive for whooping cough, making the described symptom set the best match. The other clusters point to different conditions: barrel-chest with pursed-lip breathing and cyanosis suggests obstructive lung disease like COPD or severe asthma; drooling with stridor and a tripod position points to an acute upper airway obstruction such as epiglottitis or croup; simply cough with runny nose and sore throat is typical of a viral URI. So the coughing fits with a whooping sound and fever best matches pertussis.