What can be transmitted through saliva. Is kissing contagious? Are sexually transmitted infections transmitted through kissing?

A kiss is a sign of great and pure love, a way of expressing the most tender and sincere feelings. But according to doctors, kissing is not such a harmless activity. What infections are transmitted with it and what can be infected through saliva.

Kissing, loving people, in addition to the well-known herpes, can transmit a lot of different infections to each other.

Infection occurs only if there is damage to the mucous membrane in the mouth of kissing people. These can be bleeding gums, cracked lips, bites in the corners of the mouth, sores or inflammation. In addition to herpes, there is a risk of becoming infected with streptococcal, candidal, respiratory infections of the nasopharynx and even HIV. Can you get an STD through kissing? Unfortunately yes. Contact of the oral mucosa with oral sex increases the risk of contracting any disease that can be sexually transmitted. What can be infected through a kiss: syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, mycoplasma.

Fleeting, or closed social kisses, when contact occurs exclusively with closed lips, completely eliminate the risk of infection. And the so-called French, when people are in contact with an open mouth, from an epidemiological point of view, are considered the most dangerous.

What can be transmitted through kissing?

Most pathologies transmitted through saliva often look like a respiratory infection, and often even a specialist cannot identify them in the initial stage.

Cytomegalovirus infection

The causative agent is Cytomegalovirus hominids, belonging to the group of herpetic viruses. It is transmitted during kissing through saliva.

The disease at the initial stage in almost 70% of those infected is asymptomatic. In other cases, cytomegaly begins with a sharp increase in temperature, sore throat, nasal congestion. On the second or third day after infection, the lymph nodes in the neck increase. Unlike acute respiratory viral infection, cytomegaly is characterized by a long course: from two weeks to a month. The second special sign of the disease is that in men it does not manifest itself anymore, and in women, the organs of the genitourinary system are involved in the inflammatory process.

Risk group for infection:

• Pregnant.
• Newborns.
• Babies.
• People with chronic diseases.

Infectious mononucleosis

One of the most common viral latent human infections.

The source is a person infected with the Epstein-Barr virus. It is transmitted by airborne droplets, with the saliva of the infected.

According to clinical manifestations, the disease is similar to acute respiratory viral infection.

Symptoms:

• Fever.
• Nasal congestion.
• A sore throat.
• Edema and hyperemia of the nasopharyngeal mucosa.

After the disease, a distinctive and defining symptomatology appears:

• Pain in the epigastrium.
• Enlargement of the spleen, liver.

Disease risk group:

• Children.
• Adults weakened by stress, protracted illnesses.
• Patients after surgery.

Prevention:

1. To prevent infection or virus carriers, parents should not kiss their children on the lips. The baby should have separate dishes and all other personal hygiene items.
2. Adults recovering from viral and bacterial infections should refrain from kissing.

peptic ulcer

The source of infection is a carrier of Helicobacter pylori. This type of bacteria belongs to the group of anaerobes: it dies in the air, but lives, spreads and is transmitted with particles of saliva and mucus.

Infected with Helicobacter pylori most often in the family circle or in closely communicating groups. This happens when using common utensils, when elementary hygiene rules are not observed.

Transmission of the virus can occur from mother to child through saliva particles on a nipple, spoon, or other object.

Helicobacter pylori can be infected by kissing.

Risk group:

• People with reduced immune defenses.
• Suffering from dysbacteriosis.

The main method of preventing the disease is to strengthen the body by hardening, rational nutrition and, as prescribed by a doctor, taking drugs from the group of immunomodulators: Amiksin, Groprinosin, Kagocel, Viferon, Derinat.

Herpes

There are 8 types of herpeviruses. They are transmitted by airborne droplets, birth and sexual contact, household contact (handshakes, kisses, use of common objects).

A person is most often affected by two of them:

• I type (oral, labial) is transmitted through a kiss.
• Type II (genital, anogenital) is transmitted during anal, genital, oral sex.

The disease may not manifest itself for a long time, and only against the background of weakened immunity after hypothermia, overheating, alcohol or general intoxication, stress, past illnesses is manifested by rashes on the lips, nasal mucosa and oral cavity.

It is dangerous if rashes occur more than five times a year and affect not only the mucous membrane of the lips, but also other parts of the body. In this case, it is better to contact an immunologist and undergo a full examination.

Other diseases

Kissing-borne infections also include:

1. Syphilis. From contact with the saliva of a sick person after a month (exactly how long the incubation period lasts), a small ulceration appears in the mouth - a chancre. After that, the sublingual and submandibular lymph nodes begin to increase. The disease enters an advanced stage.
2. Influenza and acute respiratory infections.
3. HIV. Numerous studies have proven that components of viruses accumulate in the salivary glands of the carrier and are transmitted through a kiss from partner to partner. But this only happens if the kissing people have bleeding wounds on the mucous membranes.
4. Caries can be transmitted from an adult parent to a child. Babies do not yet develop antibodies to this disease. Cariogenic bacteria transmitted through kissing increase the risk of developing the disease by 70%.

There are many benefits from kisses between loving people: from the activation of metabolic processes, the normalization of the acidity of the oral cavity to the production of the hormone of happiness and the full functioning of the heart and blood vessels. Kissing is good. The main thing is to avoid casual contacts, observe elementary hygiene rules, be attentive to your health and the health of others.

With the help of a kiss, it is quite possible to infect a person with streptococcal infections, the pathogens of which live and multiply in saliva and on the surfaces of the cheeks, tongue, and even teeth. Such infections include pharyngitis, bronchitis, meningitis, pneumonia, periodontitis, scarlet fever, tonsillitis and others. Some of the bacteria that cause all these diseases cannot exist outside the human body, which means that a kiss is one of the few ways for them to get into a new environment.

It is believed that mononucleosis is transmitted through a kiss, which is also called "kissing disease". Specific therapy for mononucleosis has not yet been developed, the treatment is of a general strengthening and symptomatic nature. With saliva, pathogens and such diseases as cytomegalovirus are transmitted.

Naturally, it is easy to get infected through a kiss with any form of acute respiratory viral infections, including influenza. After all, the causative agents of these diseases are transmitted by airborne droplets, falling first into the upper respiratory tract of a person, and from there they spread throughout the body. That is why being in a room with a flu or cold is not recommended, and even more so, you should not kiss him.

Another disease, the pathogens of which immediately enter the body during a kiss, is herpes. According to medical statistics, the virus of this disease is present in the body of 98% of people, but it may not manifest itself throughout their lives, or, on the contrary, often disturb its carrier. Nevertheless, if you kiss a person whose lip has herpes sores, you can soon expect the manifestation of this disease in yourself.

And, of course, through a kiss, you can become infected with such a dangerous disease as tuberculosis. It is not recommended to even be in the same room with a sick person, not to mention a kiss, since tuberculosis is transmitted by airborne droplets. And it is almost impossible to cure it completely. It is also worth noting that if oral contact with a patient with tuberculosis has taken place, you should immediately check yourself for the presence of infection.

Theoretically, with the help of a kiss, you can also become infected with diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. However, in practice, this is possible only if during oral contact there is an exchange of blood. For example, if one person has bleeding gums, and another has any sores or sores in the mouth or on the lips.

It is important to note that infection with pathogens of all these diseases is individual, and depends largely on the state of human immunity. If the body's defenses are great, it will suppress bacteria and viruses even in the oral cavity, preventing them from spreading throughout the body. And, on the contrary, with weak immunity, the infection will very quickly get from the upper respiratory tract into the blood. That is why, as a preventive measure, you should strengthen the immune system in every possible way.

“And the lips only slightly touched the lips, barely touching each other” - this is how the poets described the kiss two centuries ago. In those distant times, not every girl allowed herself to be kissed even with such an innocent and pure kiss. Now everything has changed, more than 20 types of kisses are already known, they are more and more frank and this does not go unnoticed. But what is transmitted through a kiss? This will be discussed in the article.

Benefit

Before we figure out what is transmitted through a kiss, let's talk about its benefits. Positive emotions in close relationships are always accompanied by gentle touches of the lips, but no one thinks about what happens. There are different versions about the benefits and harms of a frank and deep kiss. After conducting an experimental study on couples, scientists came to the conclusion that it has a beneficial effect on the mental and physiological state of kissers.

Positive effect on the body:

1. Extends life. Adrenaline rises in the blood, hormones of joy are produced - endorphins, and this stimulates the cells of the body to rejuvenate, which contributes to longevity.
2. Improves lung function as breathing quickens.
3. Smoothes wrinkles. When kissing, natural facial gymnastics occurs.
4. Promotes weight loss. A surge of hormones speeds up metabolic processes, fat burning occurs.
5. Increases immunity. There is an exchange of bacteria, which stimulates the body to develop new defenses.

This is the positive side of the kiss. But not everything is so harmless.

Harm

And what is transmitted through a kiss? In the course of scientific research, it turned out that during a 10-second kiss, partners exchange more than 80 million bacteria. Even if these bacteria are not pathogenic, with a weakened partner's immunity, they can cause the development of various diseases.

Through the oral cavity, countless different microorganisms enter the body. Human saliva contains enzymes that neutralize harmful microbes, but not every disease can be neutralized only by the action of enzymes. If a pathogenic microflora alien to him appears in a person’s mouth, then the body will need additional reserves to fight it.

The composition of the oral microflora in each person is individual. In a couple that maintains a long-term relationship with each other, it gradually becomes identical. That is why kissing them brings only positive physiological changes in the body.

Important! You can not kiss children on the lips. Even parents can pass on a lot of harmful infections to a child with a kiss, with which the child's body cannot cope on its own. What is transmitted through a kiss? Now we will find out.

What can be transmitted through kissing?

Increasingly, myths about the harmlessness of kissing are being debunked. Almost all infections are transmitted through the mucosa and with close contact it is quite difficult to avoid infection. The following infections are easily transmitted:

• fungal;
• viral;
• bacterial;
• meningococcal.

List of diseases transmitted through saliva:

• rubella - especially dangerous for pregnant women, it provokes abnormal intrauterine development of the fetus;
• mumps - threatens men with infertility;
• poliomyelitis - disrupts the functioning of the nervous system, can lead a person to disability;
• meningitis is a progressive inflammation of the brain.

This list can be continued, as there are a lot of them. Streptococci, staphylococci easily penetrate from the carrier through the oral cavity, penetrate into the blood, and spread throughout the body. And then they begin to affect any weakened organ, gradually involving other organs and manifesting themselves as complications.

In question is infection through a kiss with cancer. Doctors refute this fact, while there is no evidence that it is transmitted by airborne droplets.

Intimate caresses

No wonder such caresses are called unnatural. They carry a special destructive danger to the body. It has been proven that papillomavirus is transmitted from the carrier through oral sex. The disease is insidious, under favorable conditions for the virus, internal organs are affected, an oncological disease develops.

Gonorrhea - a disease that was previously only transmitted sexually, has recently become widespread through the oral cavity, with oral caresses.

A carrier of herpes, stomatitis, a fungus will always share with a partner the bouquet of diseases that he has. And this is not always saved by means of protection.

Is HIV transmitted through kissing?

All bodily fluids contain HIV infection, and this increases the risk of infection. Since the discovery of this disease, there is no evidence that you can get HIV through a kiss. But the disease is not fully understood, so you should not risk having an infected partner.

It has been proven that this infection is transmitted only through the blood. If there are cracks, ulcerations, unhealthy teeth and gums in the mouth, then the infection will penetrate through the wound into the blood, and infection is inevitable. Now you will not have a question whether it is possible to get HIV through a kiss.

It is easy to get Kaposi's sarcoma from an HIV-infected partner through the penetration of herpesvirus type 8 through a regular kiss.

The AIDS virus is contained not only in the sperm of a man, but also in female secretions, this should be taken into account during oral sex. Using protective equipment can significantly reduce the risk of infection. Any sexual contact with a carrier of the virus must be with protective measures, even if there is no damage to the mucous membrane.

"Kissing Disease"

The virus, which destroys the liver and spleen, is transmitted by household means, airborne droplets, and also through kisses, even the most harmless ones. The peculiarity of infection is that the effect of the virus does not appear immediately. "Kissing disease" is called "mononucleosis". It can "doze" for several months, the exacerbation usually occurs in the fall and looks like symptoms of a cold.

Therefore, with signs of malaise, dark urine, fever and enlarged lymph nodes, it is necessary to do tests for the presence in the body of the Epstein-Barr virus, the causative agent of this disease. If it is not treated on time, complications may develop. It affects not only the internal organs, there are cases of inflammation of the brain. Treatment lasts for several months, after which a strong immunity to this disease is developed.

Kiss and hepatitis

Can you get hepatitis through kissing? This probability depends on the type of this disease. The hepatitis C virus is present in different amounts in the blood and physiological secretions of a person. In saliva, its negligible amount and infection is possible only if there are wounds in the mouth, through the blood.

The familiar jaundice is very contagious, easily transmitted by the A virus by contact and household.

The high aggressiveness of the B virus allows, even at a low concentration in saliva, to infect a partner with hepatitis.

The likelihood of infection increases if the partner's hepatitis is acute. At the same time, the concentration of a virus of any type in all biological fluids is several times greater, and infection by kissing occurs even in the absence of damage to the mouth.

Syphilis

Is syphilis transmitted through kissing? This disease is not transmitted with a friendly kiss on the cheek, as the human skin serves as a protective barrier to infections. And any kind of sexual contact or deep kissing with an infected partner is equally dangerous. The probability of infection depends on the amount of the causative agent of syphilis in the patient's blood, and the presence of microcracks in the oral cavity.

When engaging in oral sex with a sick partner, a white chancre appears on the mucous membrane in the mouth, then the infected person will become a source of infection for anyone he kisses.

The source of the spread of syphilis is especially dangerous in the second and third stages of the disease. At this stage, pale trepanema is already in the saliva, this manifests itself in the form of ulcerations on the mucous membrane in the mouth and the appearance of a white chancre.

The disease is dangerous in that it does not manifest itself for a long time, the incubation period is long, without any special signs. Therefore, only intelligibility in close relationships can serve as a prophylaxis against such an insidious disease.

Tuberculosis

Many people wonder if tuberculosis is transmitted through a kiss? What can be said about a kiss, even if it is dangerous to be in the same room with such a patient. The presence of an open form of tuberculosis in a person poses a great danger to others. It is transmitted by household, airborne droplets and with a kiss, even a shallow one.

The closed form is less dangerous for contact. With a single kiss, the likelihood of infection is reduced to zero, but with a longer relationship with kisses, the risk of infection increases. In addition, no one knows at what point the closed form of the disease will turn into an open one.

When kissing, a large number of bacteria secreted by the patient enters the partner's mucosa. If there are microtraumas in the mouth, then infection is possible even with the closed stage of tuberculosis. It all depends on the immunity of the partner and his personal hygiene.

Important! Promiscuous close relationships are fraught with unpredictable negative consequences. The protection against this will be intelligibility in choosing a partner, personal hygiene, informative literacy.

Most philematologists - scientists who study the physiology and psychology of kissing - agree that kissing is useful. Scientists have found that a passionate kiss leads to the same reactions in the body that occur during a parachute jump or firing a gun. And it is also believed that constant kissing prolongs the life of those who are married.

Kissing reduces the risk of a heart attack

During a kiss, breathing increases by about three times, this enriches the blood with oxygen and has a beneficial effect on the work of the heart. In addition, kissing reduces the production of cortisol, a hormone that provokes stressful conditions, and reduces blood cholesterol levels. All this reduces the risk of developing myocardial infarction.

Kissing strengthens the immune system

More than 250 types of bacteria are transmitted by kissing people. Austrian physician Ulf Beming argues that this makes it possible to equate the effect of a kiss with that of a vaccination. The fact is that a fifth of the bacteria is individual, and new microorganisms activate the immune system and increase the protective properties of the body.

Kissing cures depression

Kissing releases the hormone of joy, endorphin. It improves mood and helps fight depression.

Kissing as a remedy for wrinkles

During a kiss, about 30 facial muscles are involved. Such a kind of gymnastics for the face prevents the formation of wrinkles.

Kissing prevents cavities

Some dentists believe that kissing is good for teeth. During kissing, more saliva is produced than usual. It removes plaque and, due to the phosphorus and calcium contained in it, strengthens tooth enamel.

lipstick kisses

In a lifetime, a man eats about four kilograms of lipstick. In theory, the composition of the lipstick can only be those substances that have passed clinical trials. Therefore, lipstick is considered conditionally safe. But! If lipstick contains petroleum products (mineral oils, crystalline paraffins and microcrystalline wax), then it is harmful: these substances accumulate in the kidneys, liver and lymph nodes and affect the functioning of these organs in a bad way. In addition, lipstick corrodes tooth enamel. However, cheap lipstick is the most harmful - it uses synthetic products that have an allergenic effect.

What can be infected during a kiss

Do not forget that kissing is fraught with health risks. According to some studies, kissing transmits the human papillomavirus, which is believed to be the main cause of cervical cancer. But most often, kissing, you can catch SARS and herpes.

If everything is clear with SARS, then with herpes the situation is a little more complicated. If only because the flu comes and goes, but herpes stays with a person forever. But herpes and herpes are different.

The most common is the herpes virus types 1 and 2 - herpes simplex. Everyone considers him “the same” herpes, they say about him “a cold on the lips jumped up”. Meanwhile, he “jumps up” not only on the lips. It can easily appear at any place that a healthy person has come into contact with the "bubbles" of the patient. Herpes easily clings even with a fleeting kiss on the cheek, and with sexual contact, a “cold from the lips” can move to the genitals and acquire the status of genital herpes.

Having appeared once, herpes remains in the body forever, periodically aggravating. Usually it does not cause much trouble, although it undermines the immune system fairly.

"Kissing disease" is also called infectious mononucleosis or Epstein-Barr disease, which causes the herpes virus type 4 (aka Epstein-Barr virus).

The disease most often occurs in young people under 35 years of age. Usually the virus does not cause concern, although sometimes it can provoke an oncological disease - lymphoma.

Kissing can transmit cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. It causes herpes type 5. CMV is most dangerous for women. It can proceed latently, being detected only in laboratory diagnostics. And during pregnancy, it is impossible to activate and lead to miscarriages, missed pregnancy and fetal developmental defects.

Elena Rtishcheva

Dr. Peter

Transmitted diseases include mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr virus, and cytomegalovirus. You can become infected with these diseases not only through, but also by eating contaminated food or liquid. Pathogenic microbes enter the body through the oral cavity and begin their reproduction.

Other common diseases include streptococcal infections that live on the tongue, teeth, and cheek surfaces, causing a number of unpleasant symptoms (eg, pharyngitis). Traces of lesions can be found in any part of the respiratory tract. However, streptococci are not the only bacteria that can get into human saliva - even the causative agents of colds, flu and other respiratory infections can be transmitted by kissing.

Similarly, the causative agents of meningitis, meningococci, also spread. Some of these bacteria multiply in saliva. Bacteria themselves cannot live outside the human body, which means that kissing is one of the most common ways they are transmitted.

Viral infections

There is also a high risk of transmission of herpes and Coxsackie virus. With regard to HIV and hepatitis B, infection with these diseases is carried out mainly through the blood, but traces of infection can also be found in saliva. Despite the relatively high concentration of HIV in some patients, not a single case of infection with the virus has been recorded in medical practice, which means that the probability of getting the disease in this way tends to 0. Hepatitis B is occasionally transmitted through a kiss. Infection is quite possible if there are wounds and other damage in the human mouth through which the virus can enter the body.

Causes of infection

It is worth noting that the activation of the virus after its transmission through a kiss can only occur if the natural immunity of the oral cavity is reduced. The fact is that the oral microflora inhibits the activity of foreign bacteria. With a decrease in immunity, the body's defenses fall. At the same time, the microflora of the oral cavity changes, which subsequently becomes unable to suppress the activity of the infection. You can prevent weakening of the immune system by adjusting your diet and increasing the amount of vitamin C consumed. A deterioration in the balance of positive bacteria is possible with prolonged use of antibiotics and insufficient daily water consumption.