[declan]

>Except that the mutation to go from a fluid to airborne...is not what we see happening in general

I've written a bit about infectious diseases but defer to virologists or other folks who are better informed. I do remember reading these two articles about airborne transmission of Ebola, which might be what the previous poster was thinking about:

http://www.nature.com/srep/2012/121115/srep00811/full/srep00... EBOV infection in swine affects mainly respiratory tract, implicating a potential for airborne transmission of ZEBOV2, 6. Contact exposure is considered to be the most important route of infection with EBOV in primates7, although there are reports suggesting or suspecting aerosol transmission of EBOV from NHP to NHP8, 9, 10, or in humans based on epidemiological observations11

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/12/opinion/what-were-afraid-t... If certain mutations occurred, it would mean that just breathing would put one at risk of contracting Ebola. Infections could spread quickly to every part of the globe, as the H1N1 influenza virus did in 2009, after its birth in Mexico. --Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota