A single 10-second kiss can transfer as many as 80 million bacteria, according to Dutch scientists. They monitored the kissing behaviour of 21 couples and found those who kissed nine times a day were most likely to share salivary bugs. Studies suggest the mouth is home to more than 700 different types of bacteria – but the report reveals some are exchanged more easily than others. The Dutch scientists worked in collaboration with the museum Micropia, the world's first museum of microbes, based in Amsterdam. In the newly opened exhibition, couples are invited to share a kiss and are provided with an instant analysis of the bugs they have exchanged. This is just another example of the growing number of studies which are looking at the human microbiome – an ecosystem of some 100 trillion micro-organisms that live in and on our bodies. Scientists say these populations may be essential for health and the prevention of disease.
The full article can be found at: http://www.microbiomejournal.com/content/2/1/41
