Final answer:
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is characterized by a harsh, barky cough (often at night), labored breathing, retraction, inspiratory stridor, subglottic inflammation, and the possibility of mimicking foreign object aspiration. It is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis and is highly communicable through droplet transmission.
Step-by-step explanation:
The common clinical features associated with a condition that presents with a "harsh, barky cough (often at night)", "labored breathing, retraction, inspiratory stridor", "subglottic inflammation", and the possibility of mimicking foreign object aspiration is pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Whooping cough is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis and is characterized by mucus accumulation in the lungs that leads to severe coughing. This disease is highly communicable through droplet transmission, and the uncontrollable coughing serves as a means of transmitting the disease to others.