Can an adult get croup?

I have a barking kind of cough, if not what else could it be?

Not really.

Croup is not a specific disease (i.e. caused by a particular bug), but more of a viral illness seen in children that causes upper airway obstruction...leading to what is called "stridor" and the characteristic "barking cough".

Croup can be caused any one of a multitude of viruses...such as parainfluenza, influenza, RSV, adenovirus, rhinovirus, and a bunch of others.

Now then, if a child has croup...certainly he or she is contagious...and an adult can get the virus from them! But adults would have a typical "cold"...not "croup".

Back to your question more specifically, a really bad cough can be caused by any number of viruses or bacteria. You likely have a common cold (virus)...a bronchitis (typically viral)...else possibly pneumonia (typically bacterial).

A particularly bad cough in adults can actually be caused by pertussis, which is becoming more and more common in adults. In children, it causes "whooping cough"...which children make this big inhaling sound after a horrible and long coughing spell that gets them out of breath...

If you also have a high fever and start cough stuff up and it is worsening past 1 week, you might want to see a doctor...as you might need antibiotics...

Hope this helps some.

Children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years are most likely to get croup. This common viral illness is estimated to occur in 5% of children between the ages of 1-2 years and is the most common cause of stridor (upper airway wheezing when a breath is taken in) in this age group. Croup is rarely seen in adults because their larger breathing passages (trachea and larynx) can accommodate the inflammation without producing symptoms.
Croup Symptoms
The infection starts with a cold, cough, and low-grade temperature. Symptoms gradually develop over 2 days. The typical barking cough is usually present by day 3 and is more likely to be worse at night. The presence of stridor (wheezing on inspiration), hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, and respiratory distress is common but may or may not be severe.

Yes, according to the doctor that told me I have croup when I went this morning. It is viral so antibiotics were not given. I was told to use a humidifier to use a good cough syrup and to suck on cough drops or hard candy to lubricate my throat. Mostly to let it run its course. I was also told that most mothers with young children get it once in a while because we spend so much time with our little ones.

yes an adult can get any disease. at any time.
even from dogs.and cats.