It has already happened to more than one: one night he goes out for a drink, he meets someone who seems special to him and, while they are kissing, he notices that he begins to itch and that he even finds it difficult to breathe – and it is not due to the moment of passion. In addition, his companion explains that his face is indeed slightly swollen.
Is that person allergic to kisses? Actually, it is not the kinks that cause an allergic reaction, but the remains of medicines and, above all, food, such as nuts, which can be transmitted through saliva or lips.
One of the characteristics of this type of allergy is that symptoms appear instantly, in less than a minute. The most common is that itching, inflammation and hives occur, but in the most severe cases respiratory problems may appear.
Specialists insist that this form of transmission be known, because most people allergic to, for example, peanuts, think that the reaction only occurs with ingestion . However, traces of the food may remain even on the cutlery.
Should we give up kissing if we have had a handful of peanuts? A group of researchers from the Department of Analytical Chemistry of the Complutense University of Madrid has found the solution so that such a drastic measure is not necessary: a biosensor that detects the allergic proteins of this dried fruit in a minimal sample of saliva . Although it is rare to remove it before an outburst of affection or passion, in this case the remedy is better than the disease.
