Is it alive???

tubafour · Post by **tubafour** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:27 am

Hey guys,

It's been a while since I was on last. Anyway, something happened, and I would like some opinions.

I didn't touch my horn a single time over the summer

. Back in the spring, I had strep throat, and I'm sure I happened to be playing the horn around that time. I didn't touch it all summer until about 2 weeks ago. A week after I played the horn, I came down with strep. Coincidence? Is it possible that it lived in there? I thought about asking my doc if he would do a strep culture on the tuba, but never got around to it.

Anyway, I need to be practicing for an audition next week for Wind Ensemble, and need to know if it's possible that the strep is still living in there. What can I use to safely do a disinfection of the horn? Peroxide or alcohol?

Thanks in advance,
Josh

Chadtuba · Post by **Chadtuba** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 10:21 am

Somebody once told me to spray some Sanimist or other mouthpiece type cleaner into the leadpipe after I was through playing. In theory it's supposed to help clean out the germs and other gunk that we can blow into our horns. I don't know if it does that or not, but it does leave a minty fresh smell when I go to practice the next time

tubafour · Post by **tubafour** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:11 am

Thanks for the input guys. I think I'm gonna pour some peroxide down the leadpipe, as I'm not too sure about slinging my horn around in the bathtub. That's asking for a dent with me.

quinterbourne · Post by **quinterbourne** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 2:22 pm

Make sure that you also give your mouthpiece a good cleaning - ie the inside of the shank. I'd do this in combination with a leadpipe cleaning. I doubt any germs/bacteria in the valve section and beyond would ever reach your face.

Note: sometimes on my horn if I set it down before emptying the main tuning slide, spit/condensation/whatever you call it will come down and through the mouthpiece. Make sure you empty the main tuning slide before you set down your horn, or you may send some more critters down to where you put your mouth.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:37 pm

I agree with the diluted bleach. Peroxide can be unstable and foam up excessively, making it much harder to rinse completely out. Just make sure to wear clothes that don't matter, and keep the horn in a place where the spillage won't matter, either.

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 8:08 pm

Shrug.

Rinse your horn out with warm soapy water, if it'll make you feel better.

Group A strep is primarily transmitted by person-to-person contact (e.g. sneezing, touching, close contact) and secondarily through food infected by someone with a strep infection.

Normally, we're swimming in streptococci and our bodies do a pretty good job of fending it off. If you're fatigued or have an immune system deficiency, you stand a higher chance of a strep infection getting the better of you.

Is it living in your tuba? I don't think so--though if you're wondering, have your doc swab it and run a culture.