Fomite

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A fomite is any inanimate object or substance capable of carrying infectious organisms (such as germs or parasites) and hence transferring them from one individual to another. A fomite can be anything such as a cloth or mop heads so when cleaning this is important to remember that this could aid when spreading pathogenic organisms.

Researchers discovered that smooth (non-porous) surfaces transmit bacteria and viruses better than porous materials; so one is more likely to pick-up a disease from a door knob than from paper money.^{[citation needed]} The reasoning is that porous, especially fibrous, materials absorb and trap the contagion, making it harder to contract through simply touching.

[edit] Etymology

The word fomite is a back-formation from the plural fomites, which was originally the Latin plural of the singular, fomes, literally meaning touchwood or tinder. In classical Latin, fomites was pronounced like a concatenation of English "foe" + "me" + "tays"; but "foe" + "mites" has now become a common pronunciation, and "fomite" (also pronounced with a long 'i') is the singular form in English.