At a ten second kissup to 80 million bacteria are transferred between your mouth and that of your partner… A study, published in mySystemsa journal of the American Society for Microbiology, now reveals that couples who live together also exchange virus and bacteria through their skinand more particularly by the feet.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists studied the microbiome (a mini-ecosystem composed of bacteria present on the surface and inside our body) skins of ten couples living under the same roof. According to the study, each square centimeter of skin hosts between a million and a billion. 330 samples taken from 17 places on the body of each participant were analyzed. The researchers found that each person strongly influences the communities of bacteria in their companion’s skin.
“Couples who live together have common microbial fingerprints”
Of the 17 parts of skin studied, it was on the feet that the researchers found the greatest number of bacteria common to the two partners living together. But also on the chest, the navel and the eyelids.
The researchers put the data through a computer algorithm to see if the pairs could be identified based on the composition of skin microbiomes. Result: in 86% of cases, they were able to determine with certainty the people in a relationship. “The most surprising aspect of the study is that the couples who live together have common microbial fingerprints”, explains Josh Neufeld, one of the authors of the study, to the New York Times.
Do not worry, if there are many, most germs transmitted by your partner are harmless, reassures the study.
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