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Sneezing and Germs
"Respiratory viruses cause sneezing and coughing...Nasal secretions [from sneezing] can travel at a velocity of over 20 meters per second and a distance greater than three meters (about 10 feet) to contaminate surrounding fomites [or surfaces]."
- "Significance of Fomites in the Spread of Respiratory and Enteric Viral Disease"
by Stephanie A. Boone and Charles P. Gerba, Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
7812_ lores.jpg (70 KB)
This colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted a flagellated Vibrio vulnificus bacterium; Mag. 26367x.
Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium in the same family as those that cause cholera. It normally lives in warm seawater and is part of a group of vibrios that are called "halophilic" because they require salt. V. vulnificus can cause disease in those who eat contaminated seafood or have an open wound that is exposed to contaminated seawater. Among healthy people, ingestion of V. vulnificus can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. In immunocompromised persons, particularly those with chronic liver disease, V. vulnificus can infect the bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness characterized by fever and chills, decreased blood pressure (septic shock), and blistering skin lesions. V. vulnificus bloodstream infections are fatal about 50% of the time.
Source: CDC
Link to hi-res version:
http://phil.cdc.gov/PHIL_Images/7812/7812.tif
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