MODEL RELEASED. Common cold. Teenage girl suffering from a common cold checks her temperature with a thermometer while holding a tissue against her cheek. Colds are caused by an infection of the nose and throat. Symptoms may include a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, a slight fever, a sore throat, aching muscles and bones, headache, listlessness and chills. The common cold can be caused by almost 200 different viruses which all have roughly the same effect. A young adult will typically have two or three colds a year. Alternatively she may be suffering from influenza (flu).