Posted by 
Researchers have determined that the mix of bacteria that live in the nose correlates with the type and severity of cold symptoms. People whose noses are rich in Staphylococcusbacteria had more severe nasal symptoms than cold sufferers who have less staph.
During the research, they discovered six different patterns of nasal microbiomes. The different patterns were associated with differences in symptom severity. The compositions correlate with viral load. The microorganisms living in the nose aren’t causing the cold, the cold is caused by a cold virus, genes might be responsible both for the composition of nasal microbiome and for reaction to the cold virus.
The researchers tested different study participants’ nasal microbiomes before and after giving them the cold virus, ruling out the possibility that the virus or the resulting sickness was altering the composition of the microbiome significantly.
The researchers gave study participants a probiotic to drink. Not only did it not affect the microbiomes in their noses, it didn’t have much effect on the microbiomes in their stomachs, either. It didn’t really dramatically influence the microbiomic pattern of the gut.