Cold Facts

If you’ve ever wondered why two members of the same family can react completely differently to the same cold virus, you might blame the bugs that live in our noses.

A new US study has found the organisms that live happily inside our nostrils play a part in helping to determine the type and severity of the cold symptoms you develop when exposed to the virus.

The researchers found that if your nose is home to slightly more bugs from a strain of bacteria called staphylococcus, you are more likely to suffer severe nasal symptoms (bunged up and sneezy), but a higher population of a bacterial strain called moraxella should mean you escape the worst of the symptoms and recover more quickly.