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Snow

Question
Hello,

Is snow dangerous for people with cystic fibrosis? (in the sense that it can represent a large reservoir of stagnant water)

Thank you.
Answer
We do not have specific data on the presence of germs such as Pseudomonas genus in the "natural" snow and even less about the theoretical risk of transmission. However, the use of bacteria of the Pseudomonas family (Pseudomonas syringae strain 31R) has been developed for the production of "artificial" snow with snow cannons. Adding this bacteria (which is naturally present in some water and some plants) to water can help snow nucleation (formation of microcrystals of ice). No data refers to infection by P. syringae in patients with cystic fibrosis. This bacterium is known to be pathogenic for the vegetal species only. As such, it is likely that the ability to freeze water above 0°C allows the bacteria to attack and penetrate the plant it infects. In France, this method of producing snow "artificially" is not used, due to the commitment of all the ski areas to waive any type of adjuvant in snowmaking.
Regards,
Dr Philippe Reix.
04.02.2013