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American researchers say they have identified specific physiological characteristics that may stimulate the spread of airborne pathogens, such as the coronavirus.
A team of scientists from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Central Florida combined 3D modeling with numerical simulations to digitally recreate the sneezes of a variety of people with different physiological characteristics.
They investigated how factors such as a stuffy nose or a full set of teeth might contribute to so-called super-spread events by examining how far the viral load in sneeze droplets travels and how long they last. persist in the air.
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According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to respiratory droplets of infected people is the primary means of transmission of the coronavirus, so while somewhat crude, this area of study could be critical in stopping the disease. spread of the pandemic, with or without a vaccine.
The researchers established four models using computer-generated subjects with a full set of teeth and a clear nose, no teeth and a clear nose, no teeth and a congested nose, and finally a full set of teeth with a congested nose. .
“They actually seem to be causing transmission. So if you see someone without teeth, you can actually expect a weaker sneeze pattern from them,” says Michael Kinzel, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UCF and co-author of the study.
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Meanwhile, they found that a clear nose reduces the speed and distance of a sneeze due to lower intranasal pressure, while a full set of teeth can increase the speed of a sneeze when it comes out of the oral cavity. A combination of a congested nose and a full set of teeth can increase the spray distance of droplets by up to 60%.
In other words, blowing your nose before going out in public may soon be considered a public good.
Not afraid of the bad guys, the researchers also simulated different types of saliva ranging from thin to thick to determine the impact of viscosity on viral transmission.
The team found that sneezes composed of thinner saliva tended to linger in the air longer, which coincided with previous research they had conducted.
They previously explored the production of a Covid-19 cough lozenge to thicken people’s spit and drag sneezes to the ground faster, reducing the likelihood of transmission immediately after a sneeze.
Cough drops to help control COVID-19? ? UCF team of researchers seek to change people’s saliva to help manage the spread of the virus https://t.co/vVU7vrWyKr
– UCF ? (@UCF) May 15, 2020
“The results show that the exposure levels strongly depend on fluid dynamics which can vary depending on several human characteristics”, says Kareem Ahmed, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UCF and co-author of the study.
Researchers hope to conduct clinical trials with a variety of volunteers from multiple backgrounds and more “study the interactions between gas flow, the mucous film and tissue structures” during coughing and sneezing and how they facilitate the transmission of viruses and disease.
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