are farts contagious?

We know that the coronavirus and the flu virus are easily transmitted via infected droplets when you cough or sneeze, and may persist for several hours in the air. Very many virus are also excreted in the stool (adenovirus, rotavirus, poliovirus, coronavirus, enterovirus …). Hence the legitimate question: can we catch the coronavirus via the farts of a contaminated person passing by us?

Trousers, effective protection against farts gas

In a word, the answer is no, at least not if the neighbor in question is not walking in panties. The British Medical Journal, who took an interest in the matter, reports an experience of Luke Toulez, a microbiologist from Canberra (Australia). The latter asked a colleague to fart five centimeters apart in two petri dishes, once dressed and once with the pants down. During the night, bacteria usually present in the intestines and on the skin germinated in the second Petri dish. No germ however in the first box, " suggesting that the clothes act as a filter “, Says the article. If the smell passes the barrier of the pants, it is therefore not the case a priori viruses and bacteria.

Regarding the coronavirus of Covid-19, the control and prevention ((CDC) from Tongzhou (a district of Beijing), also clarified on his WeChat account that farts do not constitute a priori not a vector for transmission of the virus. However, no studies have shown that gas of flatulence do not contain infectious particles. " If a person is naked or emits a large amount of gas, a contamination may be possible “, Advises the CDC carefully.