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Victoria Roberts
Q. As I commute by train and subway during the cold and flu season, can I cut my risk of infections by breathing through my mouth rather than through my nose?
A. Just possibly, but only if you can figure out a way to travel with your eyes closed as well, and if you wash your hands frequently, too.
A small but frequently cited 1981 study in the journal Infection and Immunity, published by the American Society for Microbiology, compared the risks of contracting a respiratory infection by way of transferring it to the nose, eye or mouth.
The results suggested that the eyes and the nose were equally sensitive to infection, while the mouth was comparatively insensitive.
Viruses like the common cold and influenza can take different routes to the next victim. They are spread by sneezes and coughs, which produce medium-size droplets that can be carried though the air to the nose and pharynx of nearby people. Protective masks can help cut off such transfers.
The droplets can also land on hands, which can transfer them to sensitive mucus membranes, or on inanimate objects, from which they can be picked up by hands and once again transferred to the membranes of the eyes, nose or mouth.
Diligent handwashing and avoidance of touching the target membranes can help head off such transfers.
Even smaller and lighter virus-contaminated droplets, called droplet nuclei, can travel by air from room to room and even go around the edges of standard paper masks. They can be inhaled, causing lung infections.
A frequently recommended precaution is avoiding crowds of possibly infected people during the cold and flu season. question@nytimes.com
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