A new study shows that a kiss lasting only ten seconds can transfer an average of 80 million bacteria between partners. That may sound like a lot, but the study goes on to show that a single kiss doesn’t noticeably change the similarity of the bacterial community in the mouths of two partners. However, repeated kisses do make a difference, with the study showing a correlation between the frequency of kisses and the similarity of the bacterial communities of the two partners.
Original research paper published in Microbiome on November 16, 2014.
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