The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — Researchers wanted to know whether vomit could facilitate the spread ofnorovirus, a highly contagious stomach ailment notorious for turning unlucky cruise ships into ground zeroes for diarrhea epidemics. But first, they needed a way to reproduce the physical action of vomiting -- so they built a “vomiting device” to puke on command in the lab.
By using the device to approximate the spray of human vomit, the researchers found the first direct evidence that norovirus can be spread by way of the technicolor yawn. Their findings were published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE.
“When one person vomits, the aerosolized virus particles can get into another person’s mouth and, if swallowed, can lead to infection,” study co-author Lee-Ann Jaykus of North Carolina State University said in a statement. “But those airborne particles could also land on nearby surfaces like tables and door handles, causing environmental contamination. And norovirus can hang around for weeks, so anyone that touches that table and then puts their hand to their mouth could be at risk for infection.”
Read full story: Scientists built a ‘vomiting device’ to show how spewing chunks spreads disease