Recent research says at one time or another most people’s upper nasal cavities are loaded with the bacteria that cause serious illnesses.
Being stuffy or runny isn’t the only health-related problem your nose could have this season.
Recent research indicates the bacteria that cause illnesses like food poisoning, pneumonia and staph infections, live higher up in people’s nasal cavities than previously thought.
Scientists have long known that the potentially dangerous stuff liked to live in the lower nostrils, but learning that it goes up as high as it does explains why its sometimes so hard to get rid of.
Typically they remain dormant, but when people sustain skin injuries or have surgery the bacteria can become active and wreak havoc by infecting other parts of the body.
As prior to this nobody knew they were hiding out in the far reaches of the nose, there were no measures in place to combat them in that location.
For the study 12 patients had their nasal cavities swabbed.
Scientists found that in about a third of the subjects the bacteria had taken up permanent residence.
Another third exhibited evidence of occasionally playing host to the pathogens, while the rest appeared to be bacteria free.
They also learned that the body could be using another strain of bacteria to keep the bad species at bay, which offers the possibility of new treatments.