 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: sylvangale
Date: 2009-02-08 01:42
I was playing on a reed that I played on while I had a cold and and I started to get a runny nose well after the cold was well and done. It was short lived, but it made me wonder whether there are cold viruses still living in the reed.
Can the cold live on? Can it be disinfected without killing the reed?
Can other unplayed reeds in the reed case be affected... are my reeds catching colds? ![[huh]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie11.gif)
♫ Stephen K.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-02-08 03:42
I don't think viruses can survive outside the human body for too long, and there's no living tissue on reeds for them to attack.
I don't think you can get reinfected with the same cold as you had before as your immune system would have seen to that, so any subsequent colds are new viruses.
But give your reeds a soak in hydrogen peroxide and then rinse them which should sterilise them.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2009-02-08 05:00
I have a simple and inexpensive solution for anyone who wants to clean their reeds. Do this every 5 days to 7 days only, considering how often you play on the reed. There is a machine used to clean spectacles and jewellery, often marketed as an ultrasonic cleaner, and also often sold together with air fresheners by direct sales retailers. Works wonders. Water inside machine vibrates, dry and only dry reeds is dipped into vibrating water, voila, you see all the dirt coming off the water, and suddenly old reeds vibrate, and reeds that are bit less old seems to become "harder" (like when a new reed has just been finished for not too long). I have used it extensively and definitely, a life saver.
Howard
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2009-02-08 07:11
I don't know about reeds, but when I had a flu virus and went in to see the Dr., they told me to replace my toothbrush every 3 or 4 days, because it's possible to re-introduce the same virus into your system over and over again.
If a virus can reed on a toothbrush, can it live on a reed?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-02-08 08:55
Surely if you reintroduce the same virus back into your system, the antibodies that dealt with it before will prevent it doing any harm this time round.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2009-02-08 17:16
I went to the doctor because I had been sick for 2 weeks, and still wasn't getting over it. So apparently I hadn't developed the antibodies yet.
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Author: Vallemar2
Date: 2009-02-08 17:41
you don't always develop resistance to a virus once you've had it and if you do develop resistance it doesn't always last long
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2009-02-08 21:08
From the Mayo Clinic:
Quote:
Flu germs: How long can they live outside the body?
If someone has the flu or a cold and coughs into his hand, and then he touches a doorknob, how long can those germs live on that doorknob?
- Joe / New Jersey
Mayo Clinic infectious disease specialist James Steckelberg, M.D., and colleagues answer select questions from readers.
Answer
The length of time that cold or flu germs can survive outside the body on an environmental surface, such as a doorknob, varies greatly. But the suspected range is from a few seconds to 48 hours — depending on the specific virus and the type of surface.
Flu viruses tend to live longer on surfaces than cold viruses do. Also, it's generally believed that cold and flu viruses live longer on nonporous surfaces — such as plastic, metal or wood — than they do on porous surfaces — such as fabrics, skin or paper.
And, from the NIH:
Quote:
Rhinoviruses can survive on environmental surfaces for several hours under ambient conditions.
So there ya go--you are not receiving cold viruses from your reeds.
And if you really want to kill suspected viruses on your reeds, the Lysol solution and the household bleach in the above study worked best, BTW.
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Author: Vallemar2
Date: 2009-02-08 22:53
Although several different viruses cause colds; not just rhinoviruses.
And if the "suspected range" a virus could live "outside the body on and environmental surface" is up to forty eight hours then hypothetically you could pick up a cold from a reed although it's unlikely unless you share reeds.
But heck; oboists like to take chances, live on the cutting edge. no?
(When I was in school I often shared my little film cannister to soak reeds, just born to be wild I guess)
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2009-02-09 00:14
Hm... something about dipping anything that goes in my mouth into a lysol solution, no matter how watered down just doesn't sound appetizing.
Another thing to wonder is that tooth brushes have ideal circumstances for viruses to extend their life. Usually the tooth brush itself remains wet several hours after being used, and is usually stored in a bathroom, where moisture and dampness usually lasts for a longer period than a regular room which gets regular airflow.
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Author: sylvangale
Date: 2009-02-09 07:41
I think I'll try a hydrogen soak while I'm getting over sickness. I just don't like the idea that the reed can actually re-introduce anything.
48 hours from when the reed leaves your mouth is quite a long lifespan...
♫ Stephen K.
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Author: hautbois
Date: 2009-02-09 13:58
Since I have no special insights into the lifetime of viruses, I can only share the general prophylactic method I always used. I put a drop or two of Listerine (not the flarored variety, but the nasty-tasting variety) in my soaking water, and always used fresh soaking water. It is conceivable that the contents of Listerine or other anti-viral solutions can accelerate the deterioration of cane fibers, but so be it. In addition to viruses and bacteria, we should also consider the impact of molds (particularly if one has an allergy to them, as I do), which can create cold-like symptoms. I frequently aired out my reed cases and tried to clean off anything which could conceivabley be a mold, and sometimes replaced the lining of the cases with something of my own manufacture, or tossed the case.
Elizabeth
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2009-02-09 19:13
there's another real easy and IMO common-sense solution :-)
toss the dirty old reed out, make or get fresh clean new ones more often
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2009-02-10 00:22
Yeah, but the dirty old reed PLAYS better than the fresh clean new one. ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
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Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2009-02-10 20:18
I like the idea of an untrasonic cleaner and may get one.
But for viruses in general, I have come to swear by (not at) at product called Sambucus put out by Nature's Way. I've used both locally available varieties, the "pure" elderberry and the elderberry-plus-echinacea, and they work equally well, leading me to believe that for me it's the elderberry extract that is doing the trick. Taking echinacea has never had any demonstrable benefits for me, by itself.
When I start to feel a scratchiness or whatever that feels viral, I take this stuff as directed and generally I don't get sick. I have people all around me at the office with both colds and flu, but I manage to miss the most of it.
Question: what is the usual practice of sanitizing or not sanitizing reeds when one person makes a reed for another person, or adjusts a reed for them? Is it usual to sanitize, not usual, or it depends? How is a reed sanitized anyway? When I've bought reeds from reed-makers, I don't know if they arrive sanitized or if I need to sanitize them before using them.
MA
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Author: PlatinumPisces
Date: 2009-02-12 07:46
well, being a bio/o-chem/oboist person I think I'll add in my two cents.
There have been studies done on the subject of viruses/germs/bacteria etc outside the body. One recent one shows that the metal copper actually decreases the amount of microorganisms that grow in its surface. Another study done by a medical research place (I forgot which one it was) but it said that certain kinds of germs and bacteria can stay on money and lay dormant for almost a month (about 24 days give or take).
As far as your question is concerned.... a VIRUS you say. Well, one thing you must know is that there has always been a debate to where or not a virus is REALLY a living thing. It can be argued both ways... Its main purpose in life is to reproduce at the price of another. It is full of RNA or DNA depending on the TYPE of virus (there are over 5000 of them and all are different/similar in their own respect) and basically take over a host cell and injects their "biological data" inside the host. The host then makes more viruses, the cell lyses (breaks), and they go on to replicate. Thats basically 400 years of virology in a nutshell.
Point is, viruses can not live in low humidity outside of your body, and it can not live without the environment that it needs to survive. As to if the virus is still on the reed, sure why not, they have uncovered microscopic "fossils" of many microorganisms that are millions of years old. Doesnt mean they are going to magically come back to life. As to reintroducing them into your body; as someone mentioned before your body should have developed a resistance to it. So why do we get sick? Viruses change their DNA/RNA all the time resulting in new ones and the cycle continues probably into eternity....
Theres no winning. You should be fine, I played on reeds when I had mono and I stopped playing for a week, then played on them again... I didn't get sick again (nor did I ever expect to). I would be more worried about money... and playing on other peoples reeds for an extended period of time.
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2009-02-18 07:35
My, what a dialog!!
Lots of practical experience and advice!!
I'm with the 'majority', it's unlikely that your reed is the culprit.
(I have several 'dirty old reeds' that play really well, and it's been a long time since I had a bug.)
There's viruses everywhere and lots of vectors -- ways to spread them.
And viruses aren't really alive anyway, so good luck killing them. They're just fragmented bits of DNA that amazingly derail our immunity. Once you're exposed to a cold/flu virus, your body should develop resistance to it the next time around.
My advice is to keep your immune system strong (vitamin C, zinc, and decent Nutrition and Sleep!) and wash your hands, use common sense in public places.
mary, RN in non-oboe life.
GoodWinds
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