Kissing on the mouth can promote the exchange of up to 80 million bacteria.

It is no secret that during the kiss countless processes happen in our bodies, and we have already talked about several of them in articles here from Mega Curious. But what about microorganism exchange, had you ever stopped to think about it? Well, according to Laura Geggel of the Live Science website, a study revealed that during a kiss of only 10 seconds one person can transfer up to 80 million bacteria into another's mouth!

According to Geggel, the discovery came during a survey by scientists at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The study was conducted with 21 couples that the researchers found strolling around the Amsterdam zoo. The pairs answered questions about how often they kissed, and had samples taken from their mouths before and after kissing.

Smack

As you may know, the human body is home to over 100 trillion microorganisms, which are responsible for helping us with a number of biological functions, such as digestion. This whole "population" lives in balance in this incredible microbiome, and our mouths are home to over 700 different types of bacteria.

When we kiss, we are exposed to a large amount of microorganisms coming from someone else, but luckily only a small part can form communities in our bodies. During the study the researchers found that soon after kissing, couples began to have various types of bacteria in common.

Exchange-Trading

Scientists have also noted that the mouths of the most frequently kissing couples serve as home to the same types of microorganisms. What's more, as they explained, bacteria find in the tongue a more conducive environment for creating colonies and staying in the body longer. On the other hand, saliva is a much more dynamic medium, and even though it may suffer from the effects of kissing, those are less lasting.

Thus, couples who kiss often have the same microorganisms in their tongues, while those in saliva are more diverse. In addition, the researchers observed that the closer the kiss was collected, the more the bacterial microbiota was similar between the couple. However, while such a trade seems romantic, scientists do not know if it can have any effect on the health of those involved.

The discovery of 80 million bacteria came about thanks to an experiment during the study in which researchers asked only one partner to drink a yoghurt rich in lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. Then the scientists asked the couples to exchange a kiss of just 10 seconds before taking samples of the partner who had not had the drink. Have you thought!