Some disease-causing organisms, or pathogens, can thrive and multiply for some time on an object like a phone receiver spattered by the saliva of an infected person.
But most bacteria and viruses quickly die when moisture disappears, usually after one or two hours for the saliva spray.
Different pathogens have different survival times, ranging from a few minutes or hours to days or even months, and some might lurk for weeks or months on an object like a door handle in the house of someone with hepatitis A.
In such cases, infectious disease specialists recommend frequent hand washing and avoiding touching your eyes or mouth; such measures would cut your infection risk to a very low level.
Using the damp toothbrush of someone with some infectious diseases would be a very likely way to get sick yourself, but cold viruses are usually spread by hand-toeye or hand-to-mouth contact.
Related Posts
-
Do germs have germs and can they be infected with viruses?
There are viruses that infect disease-causing bacteria, as well as many other bacteria. Called bacteriophages, meaning bacteria eaters, they were discovered during World War I and named in 1917. Much smaller than the…
-
What Does the Surface of the Sun Look Like and What Surface Features Can We See On the Sun?
The center of the Sun appears brighter than its edges because it is hotter. The Sun's heat is evidence of the star's energy. The constant energy, fueled by thermonuclear fusion, can be seen…
-
How many different types of Germs, Bacteria, and Viruses live in the Toilet and Bathroom?
So much for hand washing and bathing. Now what about those porcelain facilities? What microbiological horrors lurk in the toilet bowl, the sink, and the bathtub, and what are you supposed to do…
-
How many different types of Germs, Bacteria, and Viruses live on a Toothbrush?
Shocking but true: your toothbrush is dirtier than your toilet seat. It is hard to predict exactly which germs are on your toothbrush right now, but staphylococci, coliforms, pseudomonads, streptococci, and at least…
-
What types of Germs and Bacteria live on socks and Why are sweaty socks smelly?
A chemist at the University of California, Davis named Gang Sun apparently felt that the smelly sock was a neglected area of research, so he set about finding a solution to this problem.…
-
How Long Can a Cold Virus Or Any Other Pathogen Live On a Surface and Does Moisture Make a Difference?
How long a virus can live depends on the surface. Cool, moist glass in the shade, for instance, might retain many kinds of rhinovirus or coronavirus for days. Brass which is dry, sun-baked,…
