As measles is such a current topic, there are too many frightening pieces in the press. This could be taken to be one of them, but is actually not, IMHO. A story this morning in the New York Times describes a recent study by the Weill Cornell Medical College to see what is riding the subways besides human passengers.
The lead author was inspired by his young child's picking things up off the floor and promptly putting them into her mouth, as all infants and toddlers are wont to do. What they discovered is that in the DNA they found, only half could be attributed to known organisms. Not surprising considering that only a few thousand complete genomes have been analyzed, he says.
It is an interesting topic, but the comments are the best part of the article. One commenter, BB, compares riding the MTA to licking a petrie dish, but goes onto say
Having ridden the various lines for years, I'm actually rather comforted in knowing that my body has built up an immunity sufficient to withstand the 4 train during rush hour. So, thank you, MTA, for providing a medicine that goes far beyond science. And, I would think that it be not inappropriate for that revered institution to adopt as its motto, "What doesn't kill you, makes you strong."
Another commenter points out that only about 1/10 of the cells in our bodies are human. We all also harbor low levels of pathogens that are suppressed by our immune systems, and so do not develop into disease.
The story wasn't meant to be a scare, though is it difficult to imagine that people who use anti-bacterial products religiously will not be thorough distressed. Purell by the barrel! My mother-in-law used to say, 'You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die.' I am of that old school that believes kids need to be exposed to everyday microbes to build immunity, and where there are pathogens, to get vaccinated.