8 Diseases You Can Get From Kissing

Some diseases are transmitted by saliva. It is better to know which ones, to avoid contagious kisses… In this short article, you will discover eight of them.

1. Mononucleosis

Nicknamed the “kissing disease”, mononucleosis is a disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus that is transmitted through saliva. It affects mostly teenagers and young adults.

Mononucleosis is most often manifested by sore throat, extreme fatigue and a feeling of weakness throughout the body.

2. Herpes

Cold sores are an infection caused by a virus, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1).

It is infectious for people who have never been infected with the virus, especially those with weakened immune systems. It is transmitted by saliva.

3. Cytomegalovirus

Cytomegalovirus is a virus from the herpesvirus family.

Its contamination is made by contact with saliva, tears or urine, or genital secretions, but also by projections during coughing. CMV can give a viral syndrome that resembles the flu. Main symptoms: fever, headache, severe fatigue, rhino-pharyngitis, ganglia.

4. Cavities

Cavities can be contagious and shared by saliva.

Bacteria present in the mouth, mainly Streptococcus mutans, break down sugars into acids and bind to them to form what is known as dental plaque, which causes tooth decay.

Children are particularly at risk of transmitting caries-causing bacteria.

5. Strep throat

Streptococcal bacterial angina is particularly contagious. It is caused by a streptococcus.

Characterised by a sore throat, fever, swallowing difficulties and body aches, it is transmitted by respiratory secretions and saliva.

6. The flu

Influenza, or the flu, is a disease caused by influenzae viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae, an RNA virus.

The virus is transmitted by airborn droplets caused by the coughing or sneezing an infected person. You can also contract the virus by shaking the hand of an infected person or by touching contaminated surfaces.

7. Gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis is caught by touching an object contaminated by the virus, then being brought to the mouth, nose or eyes or directly through the mouth, via saliva.

Be careful when a person sneezes without covering his mouth, and sends saliva droplets containing the virus into the air.

8. The cold

The rhinoviruses responsible for colds are transmitted from one person to another, most often by saliva droplets.

But contrary to what one might think, the risk of catching a cold by mouth, for example by kissing one’s partner, is relatively low because they spread mainly through the air (after coughing, sneezing, etc..).