does anyone think that the common cold will eventually wipeout mankind? i think that all this continual germ cleaning has made us all weaker and now we pick up more virus infections etc? true i do know that we do need some amount of cleanliness,but i just get visions of us all walking around with special suits on being charged for oxygen:confused:

Well, it's actually not that WE'RE getting weaker so much as that the germs are getting stronger. It's microbiological Darwinism.

Let's say you have 100 germs. 90 of these germs are strength 1. 10 of them are strength 2. You apply an agent to kill them, but it only kills those with strength 1. The strength 2 germs multiply and proliferate: but as they proliferate, some of the new ones, because they come from stronger stock, turn out strength 3. It's an arms race: we wipe out the weak. The strong survive and proliferate, in the process getting stronger.

Viruses like the cold evolve by natural selection.
A virus will spread until we find a cure; once we begin administering the cure (I.e., Antibiotics) the pathogens begin to "die". But, one of the pathogens has adapted to be immune to the antibiotic. (It has mutated)
That single one will begin to duplicate/spread/reproduce while the un-immune ones carry on being "treated".

Before you know it, the majority of the virus/infections are immune to treatment.
(It is a pretty simular principle with Vaccinations)

This happens very quickly in the case of the common cold.
But the cold isn't threatening right now, and probably wont be for a long time.
(Except for the Elderly and Very Young)

We should be more worried about Viruses that has already adapted immunity to the treatments that could pose a threat. (e.g., MRSA)

Like the Bird flu perhaps?

I think we probably get as many colds now as ever, and certainly from the widest range of locations, with all the cheap global travel occuring nowadays. No virus can be defeated by antibiotics, as antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infection, and not viruses.

Ah, Opp, I intended to put Virus/Infections... forgot.


Soul- With bird flu, they're scared its going to mutate to be able to transfer from human to human, that isn't really evolution by natural selection but random chances.
I have a major doubt on whether it will happen for a long time.

I don't get it. Where do you get the idea that germs are getting stronger?