Scientists issue warning over face licking

Experts are warning that letting a dog lick your face could spread superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics.

Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College and the University of Lisbon took regular stool samples from people, dogs and cats and found a number of both pets and humans were carrying ‘bacteria of concern’, including bacteria that had developed resistance to antibiotics.

The research, presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Lisbon and reported by The Telegraph, shows that pets and owners share bacteria with one another.

Dr Juliana Menezes, study lead author, said: “Previous studies have linked the close contact factors between pets and their owners to the sharing of bacteria (whether resistant or not). These risk factors include kissing, licking the owner’s face or eating from the owner’s plate. To reduce the spread of these bacteria within the household, it would be necessary to reduce this close relationship between the owners and their pets, and also to have greater hygiene practices.

“Bearing in mind that the bacteria we studied are found colonising the gastrointestinal tract, the transmission occurs via the faecal-oral route, so good hygiene practices on the part of owners would help to reduce sharing, such as washing hands after collecting dog waste, or even after petting them.”