You share a third of your oral bacteria with other people in your home

Many bacteria form spores that can survive in the air and spread the microbes within the home even if its members are not familiar with each other.

To Claire Wilson

The people you live with may share more information than you think. This includes up to a third of the bacterial strains in your mouth.

Physicians are increasingly concerned about the health effects of the hundreds of species of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that live inside and outside our guts, mouths and bodies, known as the microbiome. .

Nicola Segata of the University of Trento, Italy, and his colleagues conducted 31 previous studies on the microbiomes of people living together or in close proximity in 20 countries, including Europe, the Americas, Africa and parts of Asia. We analyzed the results of

The study included nearly 10,000 fecal or saliva samples and documented whether family members were partners, relatives, or friends. The strains present were genetically identified.

The team found that family members were more likely to share oral bacterial strains than gut bacterial strains.

Across all studies, 32% of oral bacterial strains were shared by household members, whereas 12% of gut bacterial strains were shared. Only 3% of oral bacteria were the same among members of the same population who did not live together.

This shows how common it is for people to transmit germs to other people, even if they aren’t kissing or having sex.

Oral bacteria are easily shared, as many bacteria can form spores and survive in the air for long periods of time.

Joan Santini of University College London says people who live together may eat similar foods, which contribute to a similar environment in their mouths, where the same strains of bacteria are present. It is said that it may promote reproduction.