# What happens to the germs...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-germs/785170>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [April 24, 2017, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-germs/785170 "2017-04-24T22:15:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-germs/785170/1 "2017-04-24T22:15:00Z")

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When the host dies? They die too, right? Mindless creatures ain’t they?

I’ve wondered about that for a while so I thought I’d ask.

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**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-germs/785170/2 "2017-04-24T22:17:36Z")

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They eat the host.

Why do you think bodies rot?

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**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-germs/785170/3 "2017-04-24T22:41:37Z")

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This is actually a serious issue for undertakers; once the host dies, the immune system dies with it and all sorts of things start to run amok.

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**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-germs/785170/4 "2017-04-24T23:27:46Z")

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They eat the host, but embalming fluid slows them down long enough to get through the funeral.

In a way humans are the same with natural resources. We eat through natural resources with little concern for sustainability, and if our resources run out we will start to die off too.

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**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-germs/785170/5 "2017-04-25T00:02:45Z")

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According to my friend who has cats and dogs, they apparently go to Germ-Heaven.

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**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-the-germs/785170/6 "2017-04-25T00:16:51Z")

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The anaerobic germs have a field day. Most of the aerobic germs die,as they are dependent upon the circulation to supply fresh oxygen.