Most of us outgrow cooties, even if we have no idea what they are. It's all about the cooties.
Nobody knows what they are, and nobody wants 'em.
They have never been scientifically observed nor classified. And yet to millions of Kindergartners and politicians, cooties are a fact of life. There are many types. A perfectly nice game of tag or spin the bottle gives way to overbearing ickiness, soon to be followed by the stampeding of little tiny feet. No one knows who contracts cooties first, nor the necessary means to prevent them.