Gargle, rinse, spit that gonorrhea away: study

The New York Daily News reports:

Hello, fresh breath; so long, STI.

Gonorrhea is getting more common and harder to fight, but findings by Australian researchers suggest a cheap and easy way to prevent the sexually transmitted infection. Look no further than your local supermarket or drug store for the fix — Listerine. It fights halitosis, as everyone knows. It also battles gonorrhea bacteria, according to a study in Sexually Transmitted Infections journal.

The maker of the mouthwash has said the oral rinse does that since 1879. Investigators note that this is the first published study — a two-pronged investigation — to test the company’s claim. In lab tests, mouthwash solutions curbed the growth of bacteria in culture dishes, while saline solutions didn’t. In a clinical trial of 196 men being treated for gonorrhea in their throats, subjects who gargled with Listerine were 80% less likely to test positive for the STI five minutes later than the men who did likewise with saline solution.

Imagine that.