Myth or fact that you cant get sick(virus/bacteria) through saliva/mouth?

Question

? heard because saliva is a anti bacteria substance.

Answer 1

Myth. Though saliva is a mild anti-bacterial barrier, viruses and bacteria can still be transmitted. Bacteria live in your mouth...that's why you wake up with morning breath. That's also why you should get the meningitis vaccination before going to college...one way in which it is spread is through sharing of water bottles, cups, etc...

Answer 2

Think that'd be a myth. You can get salmonella poisoning from eating raw eggs (bacteria). Don't know about eating viruses, you don't see them on the menu too often.

As an aside, komodo dragons have a truckload of bacteria living in their saliva - that's what'll kill you if you get bitten by one. So don't.

Answer 3

this is a MYTH. that's why there are "communicable diseases". or how else would a cold from one person transfer to another?

Saliva

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

saliva is the watery and usually frothy substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is produced in and secreted from the salivary glands. Human saliva is composed mostly of water, but also includes electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds, and various enzymes. [1] As part of the initial process of food digestion, the enzymes in the saliva break down some of the starch and fat in the food at the molecular level. Saliva also breaks down food caught in the teeth, protecting them from bacteria that cause decay. Furthermore, saliva lubricates and protects the teeth, the tongue, and the tender tissues inside the mouth.

Disinfectants

A common belief is that saliva contained in the mouth has natural disinfectants, which leads people to believe it is beneficial to "l**k their wounds". Researchers at the University of Florida at Gainesville have discovered a protein called nerve growth factor (NGF) in the saliva of mice. Wounds doused with NGF healed twice as fast as untreated and unlicked wounds; therefore, saliva can help to heal wounds in some species. NGF has not been found in human saliva; however, researchers find human saliva contains such antibacterial agents as secretory IgA, lactoferrin, and lactoperoxidase.[4] It has not been shown that human l*****g of wounds disinfects them, but l*****g is likely to help clean the wound by removing larger contaminants such as dirt and may help to directly remove infective bodies by brushing them away. Therefore, l*****g would be a way of washing, useful if purer water isn't available to the animal or person.

The mouth of animals is the habitat of many bacteria, some pathogenic. Some diseases, such as herpes, can be transmitted through the mouth. Animal (including human) bites are routinely treated with systemic antibiotics because of the risk of septicemia.

Recent research suggests that the saliva of birds is a better indicator of avian influenza than are faecal samples.