If you smell an odor from a person who is ill, be it feces, vomit or other bodily fluids, is it possible to inhale virus or bacterium from that person through the air? Can smells transmit infections?
The smell, itself, will not transmit a microorganism, but if you can smell a sick person, then you are breathing air that has had intimate contact with that person.
You could also contract a microorganism from that person. It would depend on what he/she had. Some things can be transmitted in the air. Some can’t.
My understanding was that there were no truly air-borne pathogens excluding fungi, etc which can reproduce themselves through airborn spores. All pathogens that were being transmitted through air had to first be aerosolized, basically but into small droplets of water small enough to float around in air. Consequently, certain pathogens likely to be found in locations such as mucous linings were more “airborn” than other pathogens, such as HIV, which only exists in places where white-blood cells grouped, essentially only the bloodstream. Consequently, it is possible to smell the excretions symptomatic of a certain infection without being at risk for contracting the disease.
No, smells are simply small particles of a certain “shape” produced by certain bioloigcal processes that your body can recognize to warn you of certain things. For instance, the bacteria to rot food will probably produce a certain type of protein that can be recognised by the chemical receptors within your nose. These small particles are not contaigous.
Yes, there are airborne pathogens. Viruses also reproduce via spores, and IIRC some bacteria encyst themselves ? (forgive me, but it’s been a while).
AEROBIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING – Airborne Pathogens Database wasn’t responding when I tried to follow the link, so I didn’t bother linking to it.
Measles, chickenpox and tuberculosis are considered airborne pathogens, as are diptheria and whooping cough.
Tisiphone