What you can catch from a Toilet Seat

Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
1

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtoilet.html

“Urine doesn’t carry any common diseases that I know of…”

but

from the CDC website regarding Cytomegalovirus (CMV):
http://www.cdc.gov/cmv/facts.htm

“Between 50% and 80% of adults in the United States are infected with CMV by 40 years of age”
and
“Transmission of CMV occurs from person to person, through close contact with body fluids (urine, saliva (spit), breast milk, blood, tears, semen, and vaginal fluids)”

2

From the same page: “Most CMV infections are “silent,” meaning they cause no signs or symptoms in an infected person.”

He said “common diseases.”

3

Isn’t HIV also a silent infection until one develops AIDS, the diesase? If one could get infected with HIV via a toilet seat, I don’t think the author would’ve made the same claim.

4

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It’s a valid point, dfgarcia, but IMO a purely semantic one. Call it “illness,” rather than “disease,” and the statement stands.
.

5

You both must be joking. I’ve been reading TSD for years and understand the nature of the smart-assed and literal tone of Cecil et al.'s responses, but I fail to see how this semantic dodge (i.e. piss doesn’t carry any common diseases, but we won’t mention anything about the common virus that might infect you) serves the public interest in fighting ignorance.

6

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Fair enough. According to your CDC citation CMV is a virus which can cause disease, rather than a disease itself, and is contracted through close, not casual, fluid contact (which as I understand it, does not include plain physical contact).

But it’s obviously a much bigger deal to you than to me. I’m not convinced it’s indicative of a betrayal of the public interest or whatever, but you keep on fighting the good fight, I guess.
.

7

Bollocks. CMV infection is extremely common, but it doesn’t cause any symptoms, ever, in most people. It ain’t a common disease. It ain’t a disease, period. Calling CMV infection a disease like calling the E. coli in your gut a disease. Unless one is especially vulnerable, one doesn’t get sick from it – and getting sick is my bright line test for “disease.”