You May Be Sharing More Microbes Than You Think
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Sharing Cooties: When couples move in together, they expect to share living space, a bed, and expenses. But they’re also sharing a lot more than they probably realize. A new study has found cohabitating partners share a significant portion of their oral and gut microbiomes, as well — and how this happens is one part sweet and one part stomach-turning.
The Study: The researchers gathered and analyzed microbiome DNA from 430 people in 207 households in Italy and Fiji. They found cohabitating romantic partners share 44% of their oral microbiome and that people who live together, regardless of their relationship, share 19% of their gut microbiome, as well.
The Takeaway: We do literally swap saliva when we kiss. Oral bacteria strains are passed through kissing, as well as sharing food and dishes. There’s no sugarcoating how the gut-microbiome sharing happens: It’s from being in proximity to each other’s fecal matter. Gross, yes. Harmful? Probably not. Experts say we have trillions of gut bacteria, and only about one in one billion species can make you sick.
Keep in Mind: This is very preliminary research. Humans have lived together throughout history, and microbiome sharing could be an important survival mechanism.
