Can a virus be transmitted through kissing? That’s right, it’s called the “kissing virus”!

It's a very common virus, one of the most common. Usually, it's benign -- it doesn't cause much trouble for people, but occasionally it can show its ugly head -- and it's linked to two human cancers. It's the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), also known as the "kissing virus" because its transmission is linked to kissing (intimate oral contact) among young people.

01 Its close relatives, we are all familiar with them

EBV may sound strange at first. But its close relatives are very familiar to us, such as the herpes simplex virus (HSV) that causes cold sores, and the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) that causes chickenpox or shingles. They are all herpes viruses. EBV can cause infectious mononucleosis.

02 Cancer it may cause

There are two types of cancer that EBV may cause: Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

EBV was first discovered by a surgeon working in Uganda in Burkitt's lymphoma cells. This tumor is common in children and adolescents, with the peak incidence between the ages of 5 and 7. The geographical distribution of this tumor is relatively limited, mainly concentrated in Africa where malaria is prevalent, with occasional sporadic cases in other parts of the world.

The geographical distribution of nasopharyngeal cancer is also relatively limited, and the incidence rate is very high in some ethnic Chinese populations. Whether it is Cantonese living in China or Cantonese who have immigrated to other regions, the incidence rate is particularly high. The peak age for nasopharyngeal cancer is 45 to 55 years old, and the incidence rate in men is three times that in women.

03 Why is it called the kissing virus?

Dr. Robert J. Hoagland published an article in the American Journal of Medical Science in 1955. He told a story about a patient with infectious mononucleosis who spent 12 hours with a female medical student on a train trip on December 23, 1950. The two kissed frequently (the kind that mixed their saliva). The key point is that the patient and the female student had never met before and had never seen each other again (only correspondence). Later, the patient's acquaintance on the train confirmed that the female student was actually a patient with infectious mononucleosis at a university hospital. The moral of this story is self-evident.

Although EBV is closely related to the occurrence of the above two tumors, it cannot be confirmed that it is the only culprit. The occurrence of tumors may also be related to genetic, immune, environmental and other factors. As a relatively complex virus, EBV needs further research.