SPITTING in public isn't just rude, the phlegm which is coughed up contributes to the spread of germs such as those which cause tuberculosis. It is less well known that spitting saliva at someone may be even more dangerous.
In Manchester, a patient was infected with a potentially fatal strain of meningitis when someone spat in his face. In their account of the infection for The Lancet, doctors at the Public Health Laboratory Service there said the patient was working as a security guard when he turned up at hospital with a painful, bloodshot eye infected with one of the most virulent strains of meningitis, one which would have almost certainly killed a child. The man recalled being spat at in the eye.
When doctors tracked the culprit down, they found that both he and his girlfriend had group B meningococci. All three were cured with antibiotics. The lesson is, if you are spat on and do not feel well afterwards, remember to tell the doctor what happened.