Colloquium | Lydia Bourouiba, Disease transmission through the lens of fluid fragmentation

The transmission mechanisms of most infectious diseases in fauna and flora share common features, in particular they involve multiphase flows. Pathogens are suspended in a liquid phase taking the form of films, drops, or bubbles, and can, in turn, become suspended in a gas phase. The common physical features of such processes ensure that understanding one biological system via the lens of fluid dynamics can yield insights into another. Here, the interplay between fluid fragmentation processes and pathogens will be discussed to highlight common aspects of indoor disease transmission. Fragmentation as arises in sneezes, burst of bubbles from a contaminated pool, and nosocomial disease transmission will be discussed.