title: [Is being licked by dogs not dirty?].
abstract: Being licked by pet dogs is frequently a common advice in articles for the uninitiated. An overview is given about the special antibacterial and wound healing properties of human and canine saliva. New developments in the human area are presumably assigned to dog saliva. Because of the presence of a quite different mouth flora including various potential zoonotic pathogens, it is strictly not advised to let dogs lick the wounds or face of the human.
authors.affiliation: Afdeling Veterinaire Volksgezondheid IRAS, faculteit Diergeneeskunde, Yalelaan 2, 3581 CM Utrecht. p.a.m.overgaauw@uu.nl
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Overgaauw
authors.forename: Frans
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van Knapen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D004285:Dogs / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents