Scanning Electron Micrograph of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
It turns out that the cold and pneumonia germs are a lot hardier than previously believed, meaning they can still get you months after deposition.
University of Buffalo researchers in New York published a study December 27 in the journal Infection and Immunity that found that Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes can live on surfaces such as toys, books and cribs for weeks or even months.
They weren't thought able to live very long outside a host, so there goes years of "scientific consensus" down the tubes.
