How do germs spread (and why do they make us sick)? - Yannay Khaikin and Nicole Mideo
-
0:07 - 0:08The sun is shining.
-
0:08 - 0:10The birds are singing.
-
0:10 - 0:13It looks like the start
of another lovely day. -
0:13 - 0:15You're walking happily
in the park, when, "Ah-choo!" -
0:16 - 0:20A passing stranger has expelled mucus
and saliva from their mouth and nose. -
0:20 - 0:23You can feel the droplets
of moisture land on your skin, -
0:23 - 0:26but what you can't feel are
the thousands, or even millions, -
0:26 - 0:30of microscopic germs that have covertly
traveled through the air -
0:30 - 0:33and onto your clothing, hands and face.
-
0:33 - 0:34As gross as this scenario sounds,
-
0:34 - 0:39it's actually very common for our bodies
to be exposed to disease-causing germs, -
0:39 - 0:41and most of the time,
it's not nearly as obvious. -
0:41 - 0:45Germs are found on almost every surface
we come into contact with. -
0:45 - 0:46When we talk about germs,
-
0:46 - 0:50we're actually referring to many different
kinds of microscopic organisms, -
0:50 - 0:53including bacteria, fungi,
-
0:53 - 0:54protozoa and viruses.
-
0:55 - 0:59But what our germs all have in common
is the ability to interact with our bodies -
0:59 - 1:01and change how we feel and function.
-
1:02 - 1:05Scientists who study infectious diseases
have wondered for decades -
1:05 - 1:09why it is that some of these germs
are relatively harmless, -
1:09 - 1:13while others cause devastating effects
and can sometimes be fatal. -
1:14 - 1:16We still haven't solved the entire puzzle,
-
1:16 - 1:20but what we do know
is that the harmfulness, or virulence, -
1:20 - 1:22of a germ is a result of evolution.
-
1:22 - 1:24How can it be that the same
evolutionary process -
1:24 - 1:27can produce germs that cause
very different levels of harm? -
1:28 - 1:30The answer starts to become clear
-
1:30 - 1:32if we think about a germ's
mode of transmission, -
1:32 - 1:36which is the strategy it uses
to get from one host to the next. -
1:36 - 1:39A common mode of transmission
occurs through the air, -
1:39 - 1:41like the sneeze you just witnessed,
-
1:41 - 1:44and one germ that uses
this method is the rhinovirus, -
1:44 - 1:45which replicates in our upper airways,
-
1:46 - 1:48and is responsible
for up to half of all common colds. -
1:48 - 1:50Now, imagine that after the sneeze,
-
1:50 - 1:54one of three hypothetical
varieties of rhinovirus, -
1:54 - 1:58let's call them "too much,"
"too little," and "just right," -
1:58 - 2:01has been lucky enough to land on you.
-
2:01 - 2:03These viruses are hardwired to replicate,
-
2:04 - 2:07but because of genetic differences,
they will do so at different rates. -
2:07 - 2:10"Too much" multiplies very often,
-
2:10 - 2:12making it very successful
in the short run. -
2:12 - 2:15However, this success comes
at a cost to you, the host. -
2:15 - 2:19A quickly replicating virus
can cause more damage to your body, -
2:19 - 2:21making cold symptoms more severe.
-
2:22 - 2:24If you're too sick to leave your home,
-
2:24 - 2:28you don't give the virus any opportunities
to jump to a new host. -
2:28 - 2:30And if the disease should kill you,
-
2:30 - 2:33the virus' own life cycle will end
along with yours. -
2:33 - 2:35"Too little," on the other hand,
multiplies rarely -
2:35 - 2:38and causes you little harm in the process.
-
2:38 - 2:41Although this leaves you healthy enough
to interact with other potential hosts, -
2:41 - 2:45the lack of symptoms means
you may not sneeze at all, -
2:45 - 2:49or if you do, there may be too few viruses
in your mucus to infect anyone else. -
2:49 - 2:53Meanwhile, "just right" has been
replicating quickly enough -
2:53 - 2:56to ensure that you're carrying
sufficient amounts of the virus to spread -
2:56 - 2:59but not so often that you're too sick
to get out of bed. -
3:00 - 3:02And in the end, it's the one
that will be most successful -
3:02 - 3:07at transmitting itself to new hosts
and giving rise to the next generation. -
3:07 - 3:11This describes what scientists call
trade-off hypothesis. -
3:11 - 3:13First developed in the early 1980s,
-
3:13 - 3:17it predicts that germs will evolve
to maximize their overall success -
3:17 - 3:19by achieving a balance between
replicating within a host, -
3:19 - 3:23which causes virulence,
and transmission to a new host. -
3:24 - 3:26In the case of the rhinovirus,
-
3:26 - 3:31the hypothesis predicts that its evolution
will favor less virulent forms -
3:31 - 3:34because it relies on close contact
to get to its next victim. -
3:34 - 3:37For the rhinovirus,
a mobile host is a good host, -
3:37 - 3:39and indeed, that is what we see.
-
3:39 - 3:43While most people experience
a runny nose, coughing and sneezing, -
3:43 - 3:46the common cold is generally mild
and only lasts about a week. -
3:46 - 3:48It would be great
if the story ended there, -
3:48 - 3:51but germs use many other modes
of transmission. -
3:51 - 3:55For example, the malaria parasite,
plasmodium, is transmitted by mosquitoes. -
3:55 - 3:59Unlike the rhinovirus, it doesn't need us
to be up and about, -
3:59 - 4:01and may even benefit from harming us
-
4:01 - 4:05since a sick and immobile person
is easier for mosquitoes to bite. -
4:05 - 4:08We would expect germs
that depend less on host mobility, -
4:08 - 4:11like those transmitted
by insects, water or food, -
4:11 - 4:13to cause more severe symptoms.
-
4:13 - 4:17So, what can we do to reduce
the harmfulness of infectious diseases? -
4:17 - 4:19Evolutionary biologist Dr. Paul Ewald
-
4:19 - 4:22has suggested that we can
actually direct their evolution -
4:22 - 4:25through simple disease-control methods.
-
4:25 - 4:28By mosquito-proofing houses,
establishing clean water systems, -
4:28 - 4:30or staying home when we get a cold,
-
4:30 - 4:33we can obstruct the transmission
strategies of harmful germs -
4:33 - 4:36while creating a greater dependence
on host mobility. -
4:36 - 4:39So, while traditional methods
of trying to eradicate germs -
4:39 - 4:41may only breed stronger ones
in the long run, -
4:41 - 4:46this innovative approach of encouraging
them to evolve milder forms -
4:46 - 4:48could be a win-win situation.
-
4:48 - 4:49(Cough)
-
4:49 - 4:51Well, for the most part.
- Title:
- How do germs spread (and why do they make us sick)? - Yannay Khaikin and Nicole Mideo
- Description:
-
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 05:07
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Krystian Aparta
The English transcript was updated on 2/13/2015.