Smells Like the Flu! - ChemistryViews (2024)

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Smells Like the Flu! - ChemistryViews? ›

Davis and colleagues at the University of California, Davis, USA, discovered that mammalian cells emit a specific set of “smells” upon being infected with influenza viruses. These odors are primarily composed of volatile organic compounds, which can be detected by using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).

Scientists have found that dozens of illnesses have a particular smell: Diabetes can make your urine smell like rotten apples, and typhoid turns body odor into the smell of baked bread. Worse, yellow fever apparently makes your skin smell like a butcher's shop, if you can imagine that.

Loss of smell—which can be partial or total—in itself is debilitating, but the distortion of sense of smell (parosmia) that can occur as a consequence of a viral upper respiratory tract infection (either alongside a reduction in sense of smell or as a solo symptom) can be very distressing for patients.

Rarely, people can have bad breath because of organ failure. A person with kidney failure may have breath that smells like ammonia or urine. Serious liver disease can make breath smell musty or like garlic and rotten eggs. Compounds that are transported through the blood can also be released through your sweat glands.

Several diseases have been discovered to harbor signature scents on the body in recent studies, including people with typhoid fever reported to smell like baked bread, people with yellow fever smelling like a butcher's shop and the glandular disease scrofula leaving people smelling like stale beer – subtle scents ...

Phantosmia may be caused by a head injury or upper respiratory infection. It can also be caused by aging, trauma, temporal lobe seizures, inflamed sinuses, brain tumors, certain medications and Parkinson's disease. Phantosmia can also result from COVID-19 infection.

Sweating. Sweating in the groin area can attract fungus and bacteria that can lead to a bad smell. Showering after exercise or athletic activity can help reduce the bad-smelling effects of smells related to sweating.

Definition. A hallucination of an unpleasant odor. [ from NCI]

Phantosmia refers to detecting smells that aren't really there. It's a symptom of many common conditions, including allergies, colds and upper respiratory infections. It could also indicate a brain-related condition, including epilepsy, stroke or Alzheimer's disease.

What Is Hyperosmia? Hyperosmia is an overwhelming sensitivity to smells. There are many reasons behind this change in smell. Some include genetics, hormone changes, and migraines. ‌If you have hyperosmia, your taste may also be affected.

What is the smell in your nose when you're sick? ›

Sinuses become infected when small particles such as dust, pollen, or animal dander enter the nasal passages and become trapped. This can cause inflammation, which leads to a buildup of mucus and bacteria in the sinuses. As the bacteria and mucus accumulate, they produce a foul odor that can smell like rotten eggs.

And.. as well known, butyric acid is what gives vomit that distinctive, smell-it-a-mile-off, odor. And this is why we're so good at detecting it. Humans can pick this stuff up at 10 parts per million.

Vinegar is one of the best natural cleaning products. It's a natural stain remover, disinfectant and odour remover. Use white or apple cider vinegar. Mix one part vinegar with two parts warm water.