Fecal-Oral Route for Transmission of Infection and Sex

Fecal-oral transmission occurs when infectious particles (pathogens) from feces are ingested through the mouth. These pathogens can be bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

What the Fecal Oral Route Has to Do With Sex

The fecal-oral route has been linked to the passing of certain STDs. This risk is mostly through rimming and oral sex. Rimming is also known as analingus or anilingus.

Rimming is the practice of oral stimulation of the anus. It is considered to be a relatively risky sexual behavior. This is, in part, because rimming may expose people to the transmission of infections that move via the fecal-oral route.

The risk of disease transmission by the fecal-oral route is one reason why it's important to use barriers for oral-anal contact. 

Some infections that can be transmitted by the fecal-oral route include:

• Hepatitis A and E
• Herpes
• Gonorrhea
• HPV
• Many other parasitic and bacterial diseases

Fecal-oral route disease transmission is classically associated with contamination of water by human or animal waste. Food poisoning due to food contamination or the use of contaminated water (for drinking, cooking, or cleaning) is a common reason that the fecal-oral route is an infectious disease risk.

Fecal-oral infection transmission can also occur when people involved in food preparation do not thoroughly wash their hands after going to the bathroom. Another cause is when people do not wash their hands before eating.

However, sexual exposure can also expose individuals to these same diseases that cause food poisoning.

The Importance of Safe Oral-Anal Contact

STDs aren't the only infections for which rimming puts partners at risk. There is also a real, serious risk of passing on gastrointestinal infections (GI). This risk may also be present during other kinds of oral sex.

The oral sex risk associated with GI disease transmission depends on a number of factors. Among other things, it's related to personal hygiene practices. And oral contact with unclean hands could also potentially cause problems.

A Word From Verywell

All types of sexual contact have risks. Oral-anal contact is no different. However, that doesn't mean you have to stop doing the things you enjoy. Instead, you just want to think about what you can and want to do to protect your health. Remember that there are ways to make just about any sexual contact safer. That's as true for rimming as it is for other behaviors. In particular, good personal hygiene makes a big difference in safety. So does consistent use of barriers.

It's also important to remember that hygiene isn't important only before and after sex. It's also a really good idea to pay attention to proper handwashing in your daily life. Ultimately, in addition to STDs, oral-fecal transmission of GI infections can occur due to sexual exposure.