Kissing really can spread gonorrhea, leading scientists now claim.
For decades, sexual health experts have claimed that “the plague” cannot be spread by kissing, but is transmitted through unprotected sex.
But researchers say the evidence is now clear enough that the policy needs to change.
Professor Eric Chow of the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, told MailOnline: “We believe it is possible to contract gonorrhea through kissing.
“I think the guidelines need to be updated.”
Kissing can spread gonorrhea, scientists say, calling for policy change
In January, his research team conducted a review of six studies that examined whether French kissing is a risk factor for gonorrhea and chlamydia.
The review, published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases, found 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 history and STI data 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 their throats than in their penises—and the risk of spreading it was greater with kissing than with oral sex.
“A line of evidence suggests transmission from the oropharynx [back of the throat] possibly more common than previously thought,” Professor Chow and colleagues wrote 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.’
This means that using saliva as a lubricant during sex can also pose a risk.
A spokesperson for the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV told MailOnline: “New research into the transmission of STIs is important to our understanding of how they are spread and, in this case, how to reduce the risk of transmission of gonorrhea reduce.
Gonorrhea is mainly transmitted through unprotected oral, vaginal or anal sex.
“While there may be cases where it is transmitted mouth-to-mouth through kissing, this is probably very uncommon.”
“This study highlights 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.”
According to the NHS, gonorrhea cannot be transmitted through mouth-to-mouth contact.
Meanwhile, the US CDC advisory says that there is not enough evidence to prove that kissing spreads it.
The UK Health Agency (UKHSA) warned in March that the number of cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) had risen to a record high.
Preliminary UKHSA data showed 56,327 cases were registered between January and September 2022, 21 per cent more than the 46,541 in the same period in 2019, the previous peak.
Health bosses said the increase was mostly caused by people aged 15 to 24 “due to more frequent switching of sex partners”.
Gonorrhea is usually easily treated with a single injection of antibiotics.
However, experts fear that the bacterium, like others, is slowly changing to become resistant to the drugs.
Several strains of “super gonorrhea” have been discovered around the world, including in the UK and the US.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
