We have been attempting to relieve cold symptoms since ancient times. In 400 BC, Hippocrates noted that bleeding was a frequently used treatment for colds and in the 1st century, AD Roman philosopher Pliny recommended that cold-sufferers "kiss the hairy muzzle of a mouse."2
For centuries, healers thought colds were caused by poison or "slimy liquid." The first sound epidemiologic knowledge about colds came from sea voyagers and explorers, who observed that inhabitants of isolated communities were free of colds until they made contact with the outside world. It was not until the 19th century that scientists actually began researching the makeup of cold and flu viruses.2
Although the common cold is usually not life threatening, its pervasiveness around the world and the misery caused by its symptoms underscore the need for research and the importance of readily available treatments for symptoms.
In the early 20th century, the secrets of bacteria and viruses were gradually unlocked, the importance of immunization was first understood, and vaccines and medicines were developed.
Advances in Treatment
| 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 2000s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, which was the starting point for the development of other antibiotics that are still used to great effect against secondary bacterial infections associated with colds.3 | English scientists isolated the first influenza virus, but it would take another 20 years to identify the rhinoviruses responsible for the common cold.4 | The first flu vaccine was prepared in the laboratory.5 | The first recognized rhinovirus was isolated.4 | Flu vaccinations were administered worldwide.5 | The entire genetic sequence of the family of rhinoviruses was mapped by scientists from the University of Maryland.6 |
With so much research available, why is there still no cure? The answer lies in the fact that there are more than 200 different viruses that are able to replicate in the respiratory tract and produce symptoms in the respiratory organs. The rhinovirus alone, which researchers estimate is responsible for about 40% of common colds, has approximately 100 different strains. Other symptom-producing respiratory viruses include the coronaviruses (responsible for 10%), respiratory syncytial viruses (10% to 15%), adenoviruses, parainfluenza viruses, and enteroviruses.7
Thus, unlike a disease such as smallpox or polio, there is no universal treatment in a single vaccine that can target all of the viruses. In addition, constant developments in the natural world such as mutating pathogens or the transfer of infections from animals to humans (as in the case of avian flu) present fresh challenges that must be fully understood before suitable cures can be found.
1 Common Cold, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Retrieved 21 May 2009. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/commoncold
2 Gwaltner, JM, Medical Reviews: Rhinoviruses, The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 1975; 48, 17-45.
3 Bennett, JS, Chung, KT, Alexander Fleming and the discovery of penicillin, Advances in Applied Microbiology, Academic Press, 2001: 168-172.
4 Tyrrell, D, Fielder, M, Cold Wars: The Fight Against the Common Cold, Oxford University Press, 2002.
5 Kuszewski, K, Brydak, L, The epidemiology and history of influenza, Biomed & Pharmacother, 2000; 54: 188-95.
6 Palmenberg, AC, Spiro, D, Kuzmickas, R, Wang, S, Djikeng, A, Rathe, JA, Fraser-liggett, CM, Liggett, SB, Sequencing and Analysis of All Known Human Rhinovirus Genomes Reveals Structure and Evolution, Science, 3 April 2009; 324(5923): 55-9. 7 Treanor, J, Hayden, F, Infectious Diseases of the lungs—Viral Infections, Textbook of Respiratory Medicine, 3rd Edition, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1988; 1: 932.
