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Kissing…lo! You are at a risk

kissing couple

Introduction

Kissing is a common form of expressing love and emotions. But if you were told that kissing could also lead to infectious diseases, would you believe? Hold on, for your information; Romantic interludes have been actually found to result in sexually transmitted diseases. Mononucleosis is one such typical infectious disease caused by kissing. Kissing also causes many other infections which can be very harmful for your health.

1. Spread of infectious diseases through saliva

Infections use several route of transmission for their spread. When food, water and saliva cause the spread of infections, it is called oral transmission. Kissing causes transferring of saliva, and if either or both of the kissers contain harmful bacteria in their mouth, the bacteria also get transmitted from one person to another. After kissing, the swallowing action of the saliva transfers the microbes to the back of the mouth, from where they actually enter the human body. Mononucleosis is caused by the Epstein Barr virus. Cytomegalovirus or CMV is the other virus which spreads through saliva transfer.

Streptococcus: Many other microbial infections stick to the inner surface of mouth and cheek, after being transferred by the saliva. One major bacteria which can cause serious infections is the bacterium streptococcus. A wide array of diseases can be caused by streptococcus and it is the major causative microbe behind gum diseases and strep throat.

All the organs of the respiratory tract viz. the nose, throat, mouth etc. are made of similar tissues. Therefore it becomes easy for the microbes contained in saliva to breed in all parts of the respiratory system. Thus, cold and flu’s can easily spread by saliva.

2. Mouth sores and infections

Cold sores: Herpes simplex virus-1 or HSV 1 is the causative virus for cold sores. HSV 1 usually spreads through open cold sores which are located near the mouth or on the lips. The infection gets transmitted at faster rates when the sores are open and leak fluid, but are also contagious in any other form.

3. Mouth, foot and hand disease

Open sores of the mouth also cause hand, foot and mouth diseases by transferring the coxsackie virus. This infection mostly occurs in kids and school children. The spread of the virus is primarily through the oral and fecal route. Changing diapers during daycare of infants also spread the infections.

Only the canker sores are infection-less. No diseases originate from these sores while kissing or saliva transfer.

4. Sexually oriented diseases

HIV and hepatitis form two major sexually oriented diseases. Though the virus of HIV are present in saliva; A case of HIV virus transference through saliva has never been reported. All the forms of hepatitis (A, B and C) are transferred by saliva.

Immune and defense mechanism of mouth

The flushing of saliva results in natural cleaning of the mouth. The saliva immune mechanism consists of antimicrobial proteins (for example lysozyme) and antibodies. The mouth flora also contains the good bacteria which prevent the growth of bad bacteria.

The spread of the infectious diseases through saliva, occurs when the immune resistance of the mouth is very low. For example, prolonged use of antibiotics cause the thrush, an infection caused by candida yeast. Vitamin C deficiency causes gum diseases. Dehydration also results in more bacteria in the mouth and the increase in bacteria can be as high as four times, in severe cases of dehydration.

Prevention of infectious diseases

The diseases can be prevented from occurring or spreading, by proper cleaning and caring of the mouth and oral cavity. One should be very careful as to whom he or she is kissing.

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