Study: Vomit can release virus into the air

August 21, 2015  22:50

In an article published Wednesday in PLOS ONE, researchers at North Carolina State University and Wake Forest University report the first direct evidence that vomiting can create airborne virus particles that can infect people who breathe them in.

The researchers used a vomiting device of their own creation to conduct the investigation, which focused specifically on norovirus, a common cause of stomach and intestinal distress.

Tracking the spread of norovirus has suggested that particles from vomiting could become airborne.

“(O)ur work here confirms that it’s not only possible but probable,” says Lee-Ann Jaykus, a professor of food, bioprocessing and nutrition sciences at NC State, co-author of a paper on the work, and director of the USDA-NIFA Food Virology Collaborative initiative.

When one person vomits, the airborne particles can get into someone else’s mouth and be swallowed, Jaykus said. They can also get on nearby surfaces like tables and door handles, and hang around for weeks.

One question the researchers investigated is how much of the virus became airborne after vomiting. They found it wasn’t very much — only 0.02 percent of the total virus in the vomit was aerosolized, at most. But that can still amount to thousands of virus particles. And that’s enough to infect others.

 

 

 

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