Little time? At the end of the text there is a summary.

Gonorrhea, also called gonorrhea, apparently can be transmitted not only through sexual intercourse, but also by tongue kisses. The Australian scientists report this as findings of their study in the journal "Sexually Transmitted Infections". Tripper is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. Up to now, education campaigns have recommended the use of condoms for protection.

According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), 78 million people worldwide are infected with gonorrhea every year. There are nearly five million in Europe. In Germany there is only a duty to register in Saxony. There, the Robert Koch Institute registered a doubling of infections within eight years: from 6.8 infections per 100,000 inhabitants in 2003 to 13.7 infections per 100,000 inhabitants in 2011. More recent data are not available.

Blood poisoning and infertility

Gonorrhea is triggered by bacteria of the species Neißeria gonorrhoeae, also called gonococci. They affect mainly the mucous membranes of the urinary tract and genital organs, but also conjunctiva, and pharynx. It usually takes one to three days after infection for the first symptoms to appear. Men often develop a painful urethritis with purulent, yellow-greenish discharge. In women, gonorrhea can affect the urinary tract and spread from there.

Although the disease is not usually fatal, it can sometimes cause complications such as blood poisoning and infertility. In addition, the infection increases the risk of HIV transmission. For several years, WHO has warned that gonococci are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

So far, it is known that gonorrhea can be transmitted via genital and oral sexual intercourse and at birth. The new study now indicates that infection threatens even with tongue kisses. The scientists around the epidemiologist Eric Chow focused on the oropharyngeal gonorrhea, which affects the mouth and throat. This usually runs asymptomatically, ie initially without discomfort. This allows the infection to be passed on to others without the knowledge of the patient.

Increased risk of kissing with changing partners

Overall, the researchers evaluated questionnaires from nearly 3100 homosexual and bisexual men who were interviewed about sexual practices over the past three months: kissing without sex, sex without kissing, and kissing with sex. A good six percent of respondents suffered from gonorrhea in the pharynx, just under six percent were ill in the anal area and almost three percent in the urinary tract.

The evaluation found that the risk of gonorrhea for those kiss-no-sex men who had four or more partners was 46 percent higher than those who kissed only one or no man. The study participants who combined sex with kisses and had four or more partners were even 81 percent more at risk than those with only one or no partner.

Especially young men were affected, as these, according to the authors, more kiss than the older participants. How exactly the men could have been infected with gonorrhea while smooching, the study can not enlighten. The role that oral sex could play also remains unclear, as this sexual practice was not recorded separately.

Also chlamydia and syphilis are so transferable

However, the study suggests that the importance of pharyngeal glandorrhagic infection is underestimated: "Our findings suggest that kissing with or without sex may be a risk factor for oropharyngeal gonorrhea," the researchers write.

Norbert Brockmeyer, President of the German Society for the Promotion of Sexual Health, agrees with the findings of the study and also warns of other risks. The transferability by kissing applies not only to gonococci, but also to chlamydia and the causative agents of syphilis. "Even if you just smooch, you can catch a sexually transmitted infection," says the doctor.

How to protect yourself from transmission of pathogens while kissing? The experts disagree about that. The Australian researchers suggest in their study that "preventive options far from condoms such as antibacterial mouthwashes" could help. Brockmeyer does not think that's a good idea. On the one hand, gonococci would spread systemically in the body, so that a mouthwash is of no use. In addition, mouthwashes changed the microbiome in the pharynx. The expert warns: "This makes the mouth more susceptible to other pathogens."

In summary: Sexual diseases can also be transmitted when kissing. This has been known for a long time for chlamydia and syphilis. Australian researchers are now assuming that people kissing can also become infected with gonorrhea, better known as gonorrhea. It is estimated that five million people in Europe are infected with gonorrhea every year. The pathogen is becoming increasingly difficult to combat with antibiotics.