For all you germophobes who prefer allergy sneezes

[The Sneezster]

From the latest (June 2007) issue of Consumer Reports:

Allergy Season Spreads Germs

Cover your sneezes, even if they are just from allergies. Sneezing due to respiratory allergies could spread more bacteria than sneezing due to colds, researchers reported in the October 15, 2006 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases. The team analyzed the airborne germs expelled by volunteers who sneezed after exposure to histamine, a major respiratory allergen, and then to cold-causing viruses. The researchers found considerably more staphylococcus amount the upper-respiratory-tract bacteria in the hay-fever sneezes. They speculate that the intensity of allergic sneezing might account for the findings.

Link to the article: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JID/journ...6441/36441.html

I'd like to be a researcher on that study, giving people histamine to make them sneeze, and then infecting them with cold viruses and checking out those sneezes. Or even a volunteer. Where do I sign up? Huh?

[shy_obsession]

Oh...no. The world is ending. NO, NO, NO!!!

[countless]

I'd like to be a researcher on that study, giving people histamine to make them sneeze, and then infecting them with cold viruses and checking out those sneezes. Or even a volunteer. Where do I sign up? Huh?

There is such a center in Cardiff, UK. Check it out on internet (or in my earlier post about the subject).

They will be happy to welcome you - and if they have a job vacant I think I am interested too ...

Isn't one of the big chiefs of this forum living in that place ??

C

[VoOs]

That's interesting. Lucky for me, I'm not a germophobe, I prefer allergy sneezes because of other reasons. The "intensity" of them, for examble

[Daphine]

YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats something I didn't need to know

[Geist]

I think I'm the only jerk who's laughing at this, for I suspected something similar for much of my life. I'm a cold whore, so germs obviously don't bother me, but this certainly gives me a new appreciation for allergic sneezes as well!

"I'm not contagious . . . it's just allergies."

Oh.....REALLY?

[resolution]

I think I'm the only jerk who's laughing at this, for I suspected something similar for much of my life. I'm a cold whore, so germs obviously don't bother me, but this certainly gives me a new appreciation for allergic sneezes as well!

Ditto.

and... Artificial Histamine?

[shy guy]

I'm not a germophobe, and I love cold sneezes, but I must admit I fell into the trap of assuming allergic sneezes were less infectious than cold sneezes. I'm not sure that I agree, however, that allergy sneezes are more intense than cold sneezes. For me, the opposite is true. My cold sneezes are outrageously intense, while my allergy sneezes are closer to normal in intensity. In any event, the article was a most enjoyable read; thanks for posting!

[Sapphire]

Interesting -

I think that this concluding paragraph sums it up well.

"In conclusion, our findings suggest that sneezing contributes to the risk of cross-infection by airborne transmission of S. aureus, CoNS, and probably other upper-respiratory-tract bacteria, and they should be taken into consideration in future investigations of outbreaks. Mild to moderate common colds do not appear to increase the risk of bacterial spread unless sneezing is a part of the syndrome. However, individuals with respiratory allergies pose a potential source for airborne S. aureus spread, particularly when they sneeze. "

So, for the mild to moderate common cold, the ones in which coughing is the primary symptom spread a lot fewer germs than the sneezing ones, which is interesting too.

Overall though, we shouldn't be surprised, right? Sneezing from any kind of cause is going to spread bacteria. Staph is a pretty serious one, but correct me if I'm wrong - most of us carry staph around inside us all the time, and it's not a problem. This article is concerned with hospital infections because people who are already sick in the hospital have a lot of problems with staph. Of course, now that I've said that, healthy people get affected sometimes too when staph gets into a wound. For example, a guy I know got really sick for a month when a cut on his arm got infected with staph.

Anyway, I'm just telling the germophobes not to worry too much. You probably have staff on your skin or in your mucous membranes right now, and it's not bothering you.

[Mr_G]

Indeed he does

[ladytiscot]

WHY WOULD YOU TELL ME THIS.

 

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

 

Now how the heck am I supposed to enjoy sneezing without feeling totally squicked out?!