Showing results for "fomites"

• plural of fomes.

fomites

American  

[fom-i-teez, foh-mi-] / ˈfɒm ɪˌtiz, ˈfoʊ mɪ- /

plural noun

fomes, singular fomite singular

1. Pathology. surfaces, as clothing or door handles, that can become contaminated with pathogens when touched by the carrier of an infection, and can then transmit the pathogens to those who next touch the surfaces.

   Doorknobs are often cited as the classic fomites, although there’s nothing unusual about spreading disease via such fomites as toys, towels, elevator buttons, light switches, and remote controls.

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Usage

What are fomites? Fomites are surfaces that can become contaminated by infectious pathogens. By touching fomites, you can pick up those pathogens. Many diseases are caused by such organisms as bacteria and viruses, collectively called pathogens. A pathogen is considered to be infectious if it can spread from person to person through contamination. Surfaces, such as countertops or door handles, that can become contaminated by infectious pathogens are called fomites. Let’s say you become infected with the flu, that is, influenza. Once you’re sick with the flu, your fluids, such as mucus and sweat, contain copies of the flu virus. You know you need to cover your mouth when you cough to prevent your saliva from spraying on to people near you. So you cover your mouth with your hands when you cough. Now, however, your hands are covered in saliva and mucus and they contain the virus. If you touch a surface, like a doorknob or a keyboard, the pathogens on your hands will also contaminate the surface you touch. It becomes a fomes (the singular form of fomites). If your mom then touches the fomes, the virus will now be on her hand too. All your mom has to do now is touch her mouth, ear, or face and the virus will be able to enter her body and infect her with influenza as well. Multiple people can become infected by one virus by touching the same fomites. This is why washing your hands is so important. The soaps and other cleansing products we use to wash our hands can kill or remove pathogens before they are able to spread via fomites.

Etymology

Origin of fomites

First recorded in 1800–05; from Latin fōmitēs, plural of fōmes; see fomes ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fomites fomes fomite

In emails, Mid-Michigan health officials hypothesized that the cats acquired the virus from droplets, known as fomites, on their owners’ hands or clothing.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2024

So-called fomites, particles that trap virus, might also move between farms on equipment or clothing.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 25, 2024

Rasmussen said epidemiologists can have a difficult time finding real-word evidence of a virus’s transmission via contaminated objects or surfaces, which are called fomites.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 22, 2020

“We further demonstrate that aerosolized fomites can be generated from inanimate objects, such as by manually rubbing a paper tissue contaminated with influenza virus,” the researchers stated in another report.

From Fox News ● Aug. 20, 2020

There is dispute as to the communicability of the plague from man to man by contact with fomites, but it is practically certain the disease can be thus transmitted.

From Essays In Pastoral Medicine by ?Malley, Austin

But the lessening of the fomes, which is the law of sin, is set down as an effect not of this sacrament, but rather of Baptism.

From Summa Theologica, Part III (Tertia Pars) From the Complete American Edition by Thomas, Aquinas, Saint

Since these movements are indirectly voluntary, St. Thomas' teaching does not conflict with the Council of Trent which speaks of the fomes as habitual dispositions and not of its acts which St. Thomas considers.

From Moral Theology A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities by Callan, Charles Jerome

But there belongs to the very nature of the fomes of sin an inclination of the sensual appetite to what is contrary to reason.

From Summa Theologica, Part III (Tertia Pars) From the Complete American Edition by Thomas, Aquinas, Saint

Objection 1: It would seem that the Blessed Virgin was not cleansed from the infection of the fomes.

From Summa Theologica, Part III (Tertia Pars) From the Complete American Edition by Thomas, Aquinas, Saint

Hence, even as the fomes of sin was not in Christ, neither was there ignorance in Him.

From Summa Theologica, Part III (Tertia Pars) From the Complete American Edition by Thomas, Aquinas, Saint

The authors add: "Regular surface infection is much more effective than regular handwashing for blocking norovirus transmission via fomite route in airports."

From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2024

Two things we all know about our phones: Charging them is a hassle, and their shiny surfaces are a perfect medium for fomite transmission.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2021

And I think that actually looking at this as a respiratory virus, that had the potential for aerosolization, for droplets, or for fomite spread, I thought it was important to cover all of those possibilities.

From Slate ● Nov. 30, 2020

How did you feel when you learned that fomite transmission wasn’t a huge risk factor?

From Slate ● Nov. 30, 2020

“It’s not at all uncommon to not have strong epidemiological evidence for fomite transmission,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean that fomite transmission doesn’t happen.”

From Washington Post ● Oct. 22, 2020