Kissing can spread viruses that cause infertility

Italian researchers have found evidence that a virus transmitted through saliva, such as kissing, is linked to infertility in women.

HHV-6A virus transmitted through saliva during kissing can be a factor leading to infertility in women. Photo: David Pereiras.

According to Science Alert, this is not the first time scientists have discovered a virus called HHV-6A, one of the herpes viruses that causes herpes in humans, spread through kissing. However, before that, there was no hypothesis concluding that this virus leads to infertility.

In the results published on July 1 in the journal PLOS One, the research team led by scientist Roberta Rizzo at the University of Ferrara, Italy, tested 30 women with abnormal infertility and found that 13 of them (43%) had urine samples containing the virus HHV-6A. This virus was not found in the urine samples of 36 healthy women in a different group.

HHV-6A remains a great mystery to scientists, and most infections with HHV-6A and its close relative, HHV-6B, do not show any noticeable symptoms.

In the study, all the women infected with HHV-6A had abnormally high levels of cytokines, signaling proteins that help cells interact and play a role in the development of a fertilized egg and fetus. They also had high levels of the hormone estradiol, which the researchers believe may promote HHV-6A infection.

If scientists can find a way to treat the infection, women with the disease could conceive without the need for complicated and expensive procedures like in vitro fertilization (IVF). Currently, there is no approved treatment for either HHV-6A or HHV-6B.

Previous research has shown that HHV-6A can be transmitted through saliva during kissing. However, many other biological factors also contribute to the spread of this virus and scientists need to clarify the mechanism of the virus's action./.

According to VOV