Intense kiss transmits 80 million bacteria

Intense kiss transmits 80 million bacteria

18/11/2014

According to a new study, around 80 million bacteria are transmitted during a prolonged kiss. However, not all settle in the mouth of the partner. If a couple kisses more than nine times a day, their oral flora closely resembles each other.

80 million bacteria in a single kiss
Kissing is beautiful, can be healthy and has a lasting effect: In just ten seconds, we exchange around 80 million bacteria with our partner in just one kiss. This is shown by a scientific study from the Netherlands, conducted by microbiologists from the Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicine and Systems. The researchers recently published their findings in the journal „microbiome“ published, have examined how similar the bacterial community in the mouth of couples.

Smooching experiments with bacteria cocktail
As part of the study, the scientists around Remco Kort made a controlled smooching experiment, for 21 küsswillige pairs, both same and mixed gender, gathered. "Half of the subjects had to take a probiotic drink before each kiss, which contained a certain bacterial cocktail." Every kiss had to last at least ten seconds. It turned out that "the number of bacteria in the saliva of the one who received the kiss skyrocketed after each kiss."

Men indicate higher kissing frequency
In addition to kissing, study participants also had to answer questions such as when they kissed the last time or how often they kiss. The researchers found a small discrepancy in the answers: 74 percent of the men surveyed reported much higher kiss frequencies than their female partners. Many of the male participants said that they kissed ten times a day on average, while the partners reported only five times. However, scientists have not investigated further what this means.

Bacterial composition in couples is similar
The fact that kissing improves the immune system, relieves stress and can lower high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels has been noted many times. „Intimate kisses exist in 90 percent of all known human cultures - we want to find out to what extent partners share their oral flora through it“, Kort told press reports. The researchers came to the conclusion: „The more a couple kisses, the more similar their bacterial composition in saliva is.“ But the similarity of the oral bacteria is not only due to the exchange of saliva. Couples often lead a similar lifestyle anyway, their dietary habits are often adapted to each other and usually the same personal hygiene measures.

Transmission of diseases
It has also been pointed out that (almost) nobody has to be afraid of bacterial exchange because the human organism is home to more than 100 trillion microorganisms. These organisms are responsible, for example, for digesting food, decomposing food or warding off diseases. However, exchanging saliva while kissing can also lead to the transmission of diseases. Thus, among other things, it can be transmitted by the Epstein-Barr virus-triggered Pfeiffersche glandular fever, hepatitis B, herpes in the mouth and other infectious diseases such as measles. (Ad)