Will kissing infect you with Helicobacter pylori? To prevent it scientifically, you need to do these 5 things

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Kissing is an ancient and popular way to express love, and it is also a normal way for humans to express their emotions. The oral cavity is a reservoir and distribution center for microorganisms, and there are often a large number of microorganisms stationed and hidden on its mucosal surface and in saliva, including pathogenic microorganisms that may cause diseases. Therefore, kissing, as a form of deep contact, will inevitably cause the exchange and transmission of oral microorganisms between individuals, and even infection.

As a pathogen that is prevalent in the human population (with a global infection rate of over 50%), Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is not only associated with chronic active gastritis, gastric ulcers, gastric cancer and other diseases, but is even recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Class I human carcinogen. For this reason, many people are terrified of the word "Hp".

Hp can indeed become a member of the oral microbial family, so many people worry that kissing can cause Hp transmission and infection . However, there are also many opinions on the Internet that oral Helicobacter pylori only exists temporarily and cannot survive and remain active for a long time, so there is no need to worry about kissing spreading and infecting Hp .

So, will kissing cause infection with Helicobacter pylori?

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Where does HP come from?

To answer the above question, we first need to know where HP may come from.

For humans, Hp can be said to be "absolutely loyal". It is currently known that humans are the only natural host of Hp (bacteria that are highly similar to Hp can be found in primates), and the human stomach is the only reservoir of Hp. Yes, Helicobacter pylori is the only bacterium that can survive in a high concentration of gastric acid. Some experts describe it as a "ghost" lurking in the stomach.

Therefore, the emergence of new infections is often the result of interpersonal communication of Hp or contaminated environment, and interpersonal communication seems to be the main route of Hp infection.

How does Hp invade our body?

In fact, the transmission route of Hp is still unclear.

It is currently believed that there may be three routes of human-to-human transmission, namely the gastro-oral route, the oral-oral route, and the fecal-oral route.

① Stomach-oral route, that is, a large amount of Hp in the patient's vomit (with gastric juice as the transmission medium) passes through the susceptible person's mouth and causes Hp infection;

② The oral-oral route is when Hp in the patient's food regurgitation or vomit first contaminates the patient's own mouth (using saliva as a transmission medium), and then passes through the susceptible person's mouth to cause Hp infection. This route was once considered an important route of transmission within families in developed areas. Living habits such as mothers chewing food to feed their children and sharing tableware may increase the risk of oral-oral transmission of Hp;

③The main evidence for the fecal-oral route is that Hp DNA can often be detected in human feces. The fecal-oral route is considered to be the main route in developing countries, but Hp transmission through this route is limited to contact with children in the acute infection period or adult patients with decreased gastric acid secretion.

In addition, contact with water and food contaminated by Hp is also a possible route of transmission, so Hp is also considered a foodborne pathogen.

Who is more likely to be infected?

There are two modes of interpersonal communication: vertical communication and horizontal communication.

①Vertical transmission is common between mother and child, that is, through the oral-oral route. However, the possibility of this transmission mode has also been questioned because the types of Hp strains detected in the oral cavity of parents and children are not completely the same;

②Horizontal transmission can be seen between spouses or siblings within a family, or between an individual and people other than family members. Horizontal transmission is also often achieved through the oral-oral route. Spouses, as an important part of horizontal transmission, have attracted much attention.

Many studies have confirmed that Hp infection has familial clustering. In other words, if a person's parents or siblings have been confirmed to have Hp infection, then he or she is at a greater risk of being infected with Hp.

The possible reasons for clustered infection among family members are:

① Close interpersonal communication;

② Have the same genetic susceptibility to Hp;

③May be exposed to the same source of infection;

④Have the same socioeconomic status.

Therefore, person-to-person transmission is more likely to occur among family members.

Therefore, although the oral-oral route is still controversial, more people believe that lifestyle habits such as kissing and sharing tableware may indeed bring the risk of Hp infection.

In addition, Hp infection often occurs in childhood, especially in children from families with low socioeconomic status and poor living conditions.

Scientific prevention is not afraid of "Hemangioma"

Given the complexity and uncertainty of the transmission pathways and patterns of Hp, it is particularly important to scientifically prevent the spread of Hp. It is currently believed that "preventing and controlling Hp infection as a family unit" is an important strategy to block Hp infection and transmission. Within the family, the following points should be achieved:

① When family members eat together, separate meals and use serving chopsticks;

② After cleaning, tableware should be disinfected;

③ If there is an Hp-infected person at home, special tableware should be used to avoid sharing tableware or kissing;

④ Pay attention to hand hygiene and wash hands in time before and after meals;

⑤Maintain oral hygiene, replace toothbrushes regularly, etc.

in conclusion

The view on oral-oral transmission is still controversial, but more people believe that kissing may indeed bring the risk of Hp infection. If you are infected with Hp, it is recommended to temporarily avoid kissing.

Author: Fu Rao, member of China Science Writers Association

Reviewer: Tao Ning, Associate Researcher, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

References:

[1] Dilinazi Yutigu, Gao Feng. Research progress on the transmission of Helicobacter pylori between spouses[J]. Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database (Full Text Edition) Medicine and Health, 2023(3): 0148-0151.

[2] Kayali S, Manfredi M, Gaiani F, et al. Helicobacter pylori, transmission routes and recurrence of infection: state of the art[J]. Acta Biomed, 2018, 89(8-S): 72-76.

[3] Liu Hanrong. Helicobacter pylori: the “ghost” lurking in the stomach[J]. Health Guide, 2023(1): 27-28.

[4] Cen Chao, Du Qiuying, Wu Xueming, et al. Preliminary study on the model of Helicobacter pylori transmission pathway between hosts[J]. Youjiang Medicine, 2022(9): 657-664.

[5] Stone MA. Transmission of Helicobacter pylori[J]. Postgrad Med J, 1999, 75(882): 198-200.

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Editor: Li Xin

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