Can Lyme be passed via saliva?

The reason I ask this is because, as many of you know, my 11 yr old daughter was just diagnosed with LD.

She is naturally WAAAAAY too young to be French kissing...but one day it will happen.

I need to know if we need to start saving up for Igenex tests for her potential boyfriends - because IF it can be passed via saliva - the only boys she can be allowed to kiss will be the boys that already have a POSITIVE on their Igenex test -

Why? Because we just don't have the money to be sued by someone suggesting that my daughter has given their son LD via the French kiss! Did that make sense?

OK - so hit me with your opinions, and any relevant research links.

Go ahead - I can take it - I'm already extremely depressed anyway!

By the time her kissing partner FINALLY get a diagnosis they will most likely have parted way a long time ago and it wouldnt even occure to them to trace it back to your daughter.

Theyd be wondering why they never saw a tick bite. Hum, havnt I heard this story before?

Secretory IgA

The Ig patterns of external secretions are characterized by secretory IgA in saliva; tears; bile; urine; and nasal, tracheobronchial, intestinal, and cervical fluids.

Most IgA molecules in external secretions exist as dimers composed of two 7S IgA monomers plus two other non-Ig proteins, the J chain and secretory component (SC) (molecular weight, 71,000).

IgA is the most abundant immunoglobulin in the body; it is chiefly concerned with mucosal defense.

IgA is produced by plasma cells in the mucosa and by bone marrow cells.
Saliva plays a very important role in process of fighting tooth decay.

Here is a list of some of the benefits saliva provides:

� Saliva contains buffering agents that can neutralize the acid created by the bacteria that inhabit dental plaque and cause tooth demineralization (tooth decay).

� Saliva contains the minerals that must be present for the tooth remineralization process to occur.

� Saliva contains antibacterial agents that can inhibit the proliferation of oral bacteria.

Saliva also contains certain chemicals and compounds beneficial to us. Saliva contains proteins such as amylase (a digestive enzyme) to start break down of starch in food.

saliva contains immunoglobulins which help counteract infections and the stickiness of bacteria adhering to teeth and soft tissue.

Saliva contains calcium and phosphate, which help to re-mineralise teeth making them less susceptible to dental decay.

Saliva contains buffering (acid soaking up) systems which neutralise and inhibit the effects of acid produced by oral bacteria or which are included in the diet.

In animals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the salivary glands. It is a fluid containing:

� water

� electrolytes

� mucus Mucus in saliva mainly consists of of mucopolysaccharides and glycoproteins.

� and various enzymes. The major enzymes found in human saliva are alpha-amylase, lysozome, and lingual lipase.

Amylase starts the digestion of starch and lipase fat before the food is even swallowed. It has a pH optima of 7.4. Lingual lipase has a pH optima ~4.0 so it is not activated till entering an acidic environment. Lysozome acts to lyse bacteria.

The presence of these things causes saliva to sometimes have a foul odour.

A common belief is that saliva contained in the mouth has natural disinfectants, which leads people to believe it is beneficial to "lick 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 does have some curative powers 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. It has not been shown that licking your wounds actually disinfects them.

Sidenote:

"Ticks can feed on us for days without being noticed because their saliva contains enzymes that destroy our body's pain producers, including bradykinin, ATP, ADP, serotonin and histamine."

Well - I will just put the issue of saliva in the back of my mind - and move on to worry about other problems.

Thanks!