Researchers Identify Features that Could Make Someone a Virus Super-Spreader
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Researchers identify features that could make someone a virus super-spreader:
In a study appearing this month in the journal Physics of Fluids, researchers in UCF's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering used computer-generated models to numerically simulate sneezes in different types of people and determine associations between people's physiological features and how far their sneeze droplets travel and linger in the air.
They found that people's features, like a stopped-up nose or a full set of teeth, could increase their potential to spread viruses by affecting how far droplets travel when they sneeze.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the main way people are infected by the virus that causes COVID-19 is through exposure to respiratory droplets, such as from sneezes and coughs that are carrying infectious virus.
Knowing more about factors affecting how far these droplets travel can inform efforts to control their spread, says Michael Kinzel, an assistant professor with UCF's Department of Mechanical Engineering and study co-author.
"This is the first study that aims to understand the underlying 'why' of how far sneezes travel," Kinzel says. "We show that the human body has influencers, such as a complex duct system associated with the nasal flow that actually disrupts the jet from your mouth and prevents it from dispersing droplets far distances."
Journal Reference:
D. Fontes, J. Reyes, K. Ahmed, et al. A study of fluid dynamics and human physiology factors driving droplet dispersion from a human sneeze, Physics of Fluids (DOI: 10.1063/5.0032006)
Also at University of Central Florida News | UCF Today
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