A single sneeze by a commuter on a packed bus or train can give up to 150 fellow passengers a cold in just five minutes, scientists discovered.

People who travel to work on public transport are almost twice as likely to catch colds as those who work from home, new research has found.

Without the use of a handkerchief or tissue, a typical sneeze will blow 100,000 germ-filled droplets into the air, which are then transferred to the seats, handles and rails.

The study found that 98 per cent of people who regularly travelled to work by bus, and 96 per cent who took the train, caught colds last winter.

But only 58 per cent of people who normally worked from home went down with snivels, the research for cold remedy Lemsip Max All In One revealed.

Lemsip spokeswoman, Hanna Nowak, said: "We can't totally avoid germs but we can do a lot to stop them spreading."

Another recent poll conducted by the brand discovered that a woman's patience with a sniffling man lasts just five minutes.

Fifty-two per cent of women said they lose sympathy within five minutes of their husband or boyfriend complaining of so-called 'man flu'.

By contrast, 70 per cent of men claim to be sympathetic to a partner with a cold, while 60 per cent even said they would help their poorly spouse by doing the housework.

Telegraph.co.uk