Ah, autumn and its smells of wood fires, its warm colors that take nature by storm, its comforting dishes and… the good old cold that makes us realize that we have taken for granted the fact of life for too long. have two nostrils that work properly. Some never escape it (even in the summer months, moreover, the one who writes her lines has learned to live with the puzzled looks of the Julyists as she blows her nose in a TGV in the direction of Marseille), and rather twice one when the temperatures begin to drop. How to explain that some people – always the same, therefore (the curse that will never end) – catch more severe colds than those of their relatives? Researchers at the University of Virginia, in the United States, have looked into the question. Led by Dr. Ronald Turner, an infectious disease specialist, the study reveals that the ease of catching a bad cold depends on a bacterium naturally present in the frontmost part of the nose, staphylococcus aureus.
The more bacteria there are, the more noticeable and bothersome cold symptoms will be, while people who have it in small amounts are much less worried about bothersome colds. Of course, the common cold, which is characterized by inflammation of the airways, is caused by a virus, but organisms in the nose can exacerbate symptoms. They can indeed affect the efficiency with which one gets rid of the virus naturally through the nose. To reach these conclusions, the scientists observed 152 participants whose microorganisms were analyzed before and after contracting the virus. Dr. Turner and his colleagues were able to place people into 6 distinct categories based on the types of bacteria found in their noses. They said they were surprised to discover that the bacteria had an impact on the way the body defends itself against the virus and on the importance that the said virus takes on afterwards. Amazing, right? If you are already starting to have sinuses that tickle you, follow our tips for effectively getting rid of a cold. Prevention is better than cure… Good luck for the coming autumn/winter season!
