Transfer of respiratory pathogens Droplet formation
PROFESSOR: So the transfer of respiratory pathogens is primarily accomplished through droplets that are emitted by an infected person and then either breathed in or ending up on surfaces and touched and incorporated into the body in some other way by a susceptible person. So let's begin by talking about the formation of droplets during respiration. So these droplets can form in different parts of the respiratory tract. So the respiratory tract refers to the whole system of your breathing apparatus in your body. So that includes, of course, your lungs, which involves a network of passages going from the large bronchus down to the bronchioles and ultimately to the alveolar sacs where the air is exchanged or oxygen gets into the blood and carbon dioxide is picked up, and then you exhale. In the upper respiratory tract, we have of course the mouth and the nose and the larynx, the voice box where sounds are made. The nasopharynx is sort of the region behind the mouth and t...