Kissing really can spread gonorrhea, leading scientists now claim.
For decades, sexual health experts have insisted that “gossiping” cannot be spread through kissing and is instead transmitted through unprotected sex.
But researchers say the evidence is now clear enough that guidance should be changed.
Professor Eric Chow from the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, told MailOnline: “We believe it’s possible to get gonorrhea from kissing.
“I think the guidelines should be updated.”
Kissing can spread gonorrhea, scientists say, as they call for a change in guidance
In January, his research team conducted a review of six studies examining whether French kissing is a risk factor for gonorrhea and chlamydia.
The review, published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases, concluded that kissing increases the risk of infection.
However, this was not the case with chlamydia.
Meanwhile, a study published in July by many of the same researchers found that kissing can spread gonorrhea. It analyzed the sex histories and STI records of more than 2,000 gay and bisexual men.
“We found that oropharyngeal gonorrhea was associated with contact with a partner’s mouth through kissing,” the study authors wrote in eClinicalMedicine.
And in 2019 the same team found that gay men were more likely to have gonorrhea in the throat than in the penis — and the risk of spreading it was greater with kissing than with oral sex.
“A body of evidence suggests transmission from the oropharynx [back of the throat] possibly more common than previously thought,” wrote Professor Chow and colleagues in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.
‘[The bacteria] can be cultured from saliva, suggesting that the exchange of saliva between individuals can potentially transmit gonorrhea.’
It means that using saliva as a lubricant during sex could also pose a risk.
A spokesman for the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV told MailOnline: “New research into transmission of STIs is important for our understanding of how they are spread and, in this case, how to reduce the risk of gonorrhea transmission.
“Gonorrhea is primarily transmitted through unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sex.
“While there may be instances where it’s passed mouth-to-mouth through kissing, this is probably very uncommon.
“This study underscores the importance of getting tested regularly, especially after bareback sex with a new or casual partner.
“It remains important that everyone has access to quality sexual health services to protect you and your sexual partners.”
The NHS states that gonorrhea cannot be transmitted through mouth-to-mouth contact.
Meanwhile, advice from the US CDC says there isn’t enough evidence to prove it’s spread through kissing.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned in March that cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) had risen to a record high.
Preliminary UKHSA data showed 56,327 cases were logged between January and September 2022, up 21 per cent from the 46,541 in the same period in 2019, the previous peak.
Health bosses said the increase is mainly being driven by 15- to 24-year-olds “due to more frequent switching of sexual partners”.
Gonorrhea is usually easily treated with a single injection of antibiotics.
However, experts fear that the bacterium, like others, is slowly morphing to become resistant to the drugs.
Several strains of “super gonorrhea” have been detected around the world, including in the UK and US.
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