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Cough up

Have any viruses that cause respiratory tract infections evolved methods of promoting sneezing or coughing...

Have any viruses that cause respiratory tract infections evolved methods of promoting sneezing or coughing to aid their spread, or are these symptoms merely incidental? My girlfriend and I have a bet on this, and the loser will be jumping into a lake.

Theo Brayford, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK

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