Are you afraid of germs and bacteria? Are you obsessed with hygiene and a clean freak? Know that with a single kiss two people exchange 80 million germs. As you should know, there are "good and bad" bacteria in our bodies. It is the immune system's job to defend us from threats.
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Are you afraid of germs and bacteria? Are you obsessed with hygiene and a clean freak? Know that with just one kiss two people exchange well 80 million germs. As is well known, there are "good and bad" bacteria in our bodies. It is the immune system's job to defend us from threats.
According to Dutch experts, a kiss of 10 seconds is enough to allow the exchange of such a large number of bacteria. Scientists monitored 21 couples' kissing habits and found that those who kissed 9 times a day had the best chance of swapping germs with their saliva.
Science reminds us that the mouth is home to more than 700 different types of bacteria, but the new study reveals that some make it easier for them to switch between subjects through kissing. The research in question was published in the journal microbiome and bears the title of "Sharing the oral microbiota through intimate kissing".
The experts took saliva samples from the subjects who took part in the study and were able to calculate an average of 80 million bacteria passed from partner to partner in a 10 second kiss. According to Professor Remco Kort, who carried out the study, the French kiss is one of the greatest examples of exposure to a very high number of bacteria in a short time.
But only some bacteria exchanged with saliva are retained on the surface of the tongue. Further research will need to evaluate the properties of the bacteria that are exchanged for kissing and according to what criteria they are retained by the tongue. These aspects, in fact, can be useful in helping people with particular problems with respect to bacteria. The experts worked in collaboration with the museum microbe, The first bacteria museum of the world, which is located at Amsterdam.
An increasing number of researches are studying the microbiome, an ecosystem of over 100 billion micro-organisms that live in our body and on its surface. According to experts, these bacteria are essential for health and disease prevention.
Marta Albè
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