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Cited by 287Fluid Dynamics and Heat TransferInfection Control and VentilationElectrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics

Visualization of sneeze ejecta: steps of fluid fragmentation leading to respiratory droplets

Open access
Scharfman, B. E., Techet, A. H., Bush, J. W. M., Bourouiba, L.·2016·Experiments in Fluids
DOI 10.1007/s00348-015-2078-4PMC PMC7088075
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Abstract

Coughs and sneezes feature turbulent, multiphase flows that may contain pathogen-bearing droplets of mucosalivary fluid. As such, they can contribute to the spread of numerous infectious diseases, including influenza and SARS. The range of contamination of the droplets is largely determined by their size. However, major uncertainties on the drop size distributions persist. Here, we report direct observation of the physical mechanisms of droplet formation at the exit of the mouth during sneezing. Specifically, we use high-speed imaging to directly examine the fluid fragmentation at the exit of the mouths of healthy subjects. We reveal for the first time that the breakup of the fluid into droplets continues to occur outside of the respiratory tract during violent exhalations. We show that such breakup involves a complex cascade of events from sheets, to bag bursts, to ligaments, which finally break into droplets. Finally, we reveal that the viscoelasticity of the mucosalivary fluid plays an important role in delaying fragmentation by causing the merger of the droplet precursors that form along stretched filaments; thereby affecting the final drop size distribution farther downstream.

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  • Dynamic respiratory events may project particulates well in excess of 2 m.

    “Dynamic respiratory events may project particulates well in excess of 2 m [18–21], which is also supported by physical modelling investigations [15, 22–25].”

    From The protective performance of reusable cloth face masks, disposable procedure masks, KN95 masks and N95 respirators: Filtration and total inward leakage (2021) · cites this paper as [21]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) says turbulent cloud dynamics enhance the range of smaller suspended droplets, and the Experimental visualizations section shows sneeze ejecta advancing away from the source. Neither passage establishes that particulates travel well in excess of 2 m, so the distance attributed to this paper is unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Bourouiba L, Dehandschoewercker E, Bush JWM (2012) The fluid dynamics of coughing and sneezing. In: Refereed proceedings of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate 10th healthy buildings conference Brisbane, AU
  2. CDC (2013) Emergence of avian inlufenza A(H7N9) virus causing severe human illness. MMWR 62(18):366–371 PMC4605021 23657113

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Related

Authors
Scharfman, B. E., Techet, A. H., Bush, J. W. M., & Bourouiba, L.
Affiliations
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
Corresponding author
Bourouiba, L.
ORCID
Venue
Experiments in Fluids
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2016-01-20
Volume
57
Issue
2
Pages
24-24
ISSN
  • 0723-4864 (ISSN-L)
  • 1432-1114
DOI
10.1007/s00348-015-2078-4
PMC
PMC7088075
OpenAlex
W2261880890
Cited by
287
References
37
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 69 · 2020: 70 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 1
FWCI
3.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Experiments in Fluids (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
Funders
National Science Foundation (CBET-1546990, DMS-1022356)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Computational Mechanics › Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Infection Control and Ventilation
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Electrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics
Keywords
sneezing, respiratory droplets, droplet formation, viscoelasticity, droplet size distribution, high-speed imaging, multiphase flow, pathogen transmission, ligament breakup

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