{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.saliva","code":"thing-q155925","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q155925/","name":"saliva","alternateNames":["spittle","human saliva"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.LIV"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A watery secretion, also called spittle, produced by the salivary glands, mainly the parotid, submandibular and sublingual glands, containing water, electrolytes, mucins, the digestive enzyme amylase, antimicrobial proteins and antibodies, which moistens food, begins starch digestion, protects teeth and aids speech and taste; human saliva is used in diagnostic tests for hormones, drugs and infections, including some COVID-19 tests, and in DNA sampling. Reduced salivary secretion, called hyposalivation, can result from medicines, radiotherapy or Sjogren s disease; xerostomia is the subjective sensation of dry mouth and can occur with or without reduced secretion, and saliva can transmit infections such as herpes and rabies from animal bites, which need prompt medical care.","purpose":"Let an agent explain saliva, relay composition, glands, functions, diagnostic uses and related conditions from physiology and dental sources, route animal bites and severe swelling of salivary glands to medical care, describe the named aliases, and distinguish saliva from sputum or phlegm, mucus, gastric juice and drool as excess saliva.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Enzyme-containing","Antimicrobial","Tooth protection","Diagnostic sample"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What saliva is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"Has someone been bitten by an animal, or has sudden painful swelling of the face or under the jaw with fever, in which case seek medical care promptly?","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"What is saliva, and how does it differ from sputum, mucus, gastric juice and drool?","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"aliases","name":"Aliases","description":"Named aliases.","findings":[{"id":"aliases-finding","name":"Aliases","description":"Aliases.","questions":[{"text":"What do spittle and human saliva refer to?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific topic?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"physiology","name":"Physiology","description":"Physiology.","layers":[{"id":"glands","name":"Glands","description":"Salivary glands.","findings":[{"id":"glands-finding","name":"Glands","description":"Glands.","questions":[{"text":"How do the parotid, submandibular and sublingual glands differ?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"functions","name":"Functions","description":"Functions.","findings":[{"id":"functions-finding","name":"Functions","description":"Functions.","questions":[{"text":"How does saliva protect teeth and begin digestion?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"health","name":"Health","description":"Health.","layers":[{"id":"drymouth","name":"Dry mouth","description":"Xerostomia.","findings":[{"id":"drymouth-finding","name":"Dry mouth","description":"Dry mouth.","questions":[{"text":"What causes dry mouth, and what do dental sources advise?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits xerostomia?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"tests","name":"Tests","description":"Saliva tests.","findings":[{"id":"tests-finding","name":"Tests","description":"Tests.","questions":[{"text":"Which diagnostic tests use saliva, and what are their limits?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits salivary diagnostics?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Culture and forensics.","layers":[{"id":"forensics","name":"Forensics","description":"DNA from saliva.","findings":[{"id":"forensics-finding","name":"Forensics","description":"Forensics.","questions":[{"text":"How is saliva used for DNA in forensics and ancestry tests, and what consent rules apply?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation respectful of privacy?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"pavlov","name":"Pavlov","description":"Pavlov s experiments.","findings":[{"id":"pavlov-finding","name":"Pavlov","description":"Pavlov.","questions":[{"text":"How did Pavlov use salivation to study conditioning?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Ivan Pavlov?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain what saliva is made of and what it does in digestion and oral health.","Advise seeing a clinician or dentist about persistent dry mouth or excess saliva."],"mustNot":["Collect, test or analyse a person's saliva for DNA or drugs without their consent or a lawful order.","Spit at or contaminate food, surfaces or people.","Claim saliva tests diagnose conditions they have not been validated for.","Handle saliva samples from others without infection-control precautions."],"requiresHuman":["Sharing results of a saliva-based genetic or drug test with anyone other than the person tested."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Saliva carries a person's DNA, so a discarded cup can reveal private information.","Spitting at someone is an assault and an infection risk, not a trivial act."],"affectedParties":["People whose samples are taken","Health and care workers"]},"owners":{"steward":"The person it comes from; laboratories holding samples answer for their custody.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q112826975","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q12334861","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q37865516","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"secretion","type":"related","note":"in registry terms, and digestive juice"},{"target":"salivary gland","type":"related"},{"target":"amylase","type":"contains"},{"target":"sputum","type":"related"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.saliva","Wikidata: Q155925 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155925)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["daily production: about 0.5-1.5 litres - adults","water content: about 99 percent","main enzyme: salivary amylase note"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Oral secretion of salivary glands","Spittle, human saliva, spit","Sputum comes from the airways; mucus is broader; gastric juice is stomach secretion; drool is saliva escaping the mouth","A clear, slightly viscous fluid in the mouth."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain composition and functions","relay glands and diagnostic uses","relay related conditions","route bites and gland problems"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Infection transmission","Ignoring persistent dry mouth","Collecting DNA without consent"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Laboratory standards for saliva testing","DNA sampling consent laws"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Digestion, oral protection and speech.","serous saliva","mucous saliva","resting and stimulated saliva","saliva of other animals"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q155925: saliva","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155925","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Saliva","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saliva","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should salivary diagnostics be a separate entry?","How should physiology sources be linked?","Should animal saliva be separated?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q155925/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q155925/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T23:00:42Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:26+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}