Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium able to survive gastric acidity and to permanently colonize the mucous membrane of the stomach. During its life cycle, Helicobacter pylori produces substances, such as ammonia, with a strongly damaging action on the gastric mucosa. Not surprisingly, this bacterium is the main causative agent of peptic ulcer and chronic gastritis in humans, as well as significantly increasing the risk of gastric cancer in the case of chronic infection.
It is estimated that the bacterium persistently colonizes the stomach of more than half of the world's population.
Regarding the transmission of Helicobacter pylori and the possibilities of sexual infection, some studies have concluded that there are possibilities of transmission via:
- oro-oral (through kissing and more generally through saliva, or through the shared use of the toothbrush);
- oro-anal (through sexual intercourse involving contact between the mouth and the anus, rimming);
- oro-gental (cunnilingus);
- fecal-oral (indirect transmission bringing food or objects contaminated with faecal material to the mouth, for example when an infected person manipulates objects or food after going to the bathroom and leaving the room without carefully washing his hands);
- sexual (through vaginal intercourse or sharing of sex toys).
- iatrogenic (through instruments or surgical interventions).
First of all it should be pointed out that the amount of studies in this regard is limited, that there are studies with conflicting results and that a clear model of transmission of the pathogen has not yet been identified.
From a rapid re-reading of scientific publications it seems that the prevailing mode of transmission is through saliva . For example, a study has shown that 84% of people with an ongoing Helicobacter pylori infection have the germ in their saliva, while only 25% of these people excrete bacterium-contaminated faeces.
Furthermore, we have seen that the chances of transmission through saliva increase in case of poor dental hygiene. Finally, it should be remembered that even domestic animals, such as dogs and especially cats, are often carriers of the infection, so the fact of kissing these animals could be a further way of infection.
