Is Common Cold a Viral or Bacterial Disease?

The common cold is a viral disease that can be caused by more than 200 different viruses. The most common culprits are rhinoviruses, coronaviruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Rhinoviruses

• The 110 identified rhinovirus strains cause up to 40 percent of common colds, with a peak in late summer/early autumn and a second peak in the spring.

Coronaviruses

• Only three or four types of coronavirus (which usually strikes in the winter) are identified as causing illness in humans. The coronavirus causes approximately 20 percent of common colds. The SARS (sudden acute respiratory syndrome) outbreaks seen in 2002, 2003 and 2004 were caused by a previously unknown coronavirus.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

• RSV causes approximately 10 percent of common colds; most occur in infants and young children. Outbreaks of RSV usually occur in February and March but can occur throughout the fall, winter and spring.

Treatment

• Treatment of the common cold is supportive: rest, over-the-counter medications to relieve symptoms (e.g., decongestants, cough suppressants, antihistamines) and self-care (e.g., gargling with salt water, drinking fluids).

Misconceptions

• Antibiotics will not help you get over the common cold any faster. Antibiotics are only needed if a secondary bacterial infection develops, such as sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia or ear infection.