The document proposes a diagnostic chewing gum for identifying the presence of pathogens detectable via the mouth, in particular residing in nasal, oropharyngeal, laryngeal, oesophageal, ocular and/or pulmonal tissue of a user, comprising a base material or particles (3) embedded and/or attached to said base material； an element (1, 5-7), like e.g. a releasable flavor molecule, attached to said base material and/or said particles, for the generation of a change in the chewing gum directly detectable by the user； wherein said pathogen is selected from the group consisting of virus, bacterium, protozoa, prion, fungus or a combination thereof； and wherein the element (1, 5-7) generates the change upon direct or indirect contact with a marker (4) which is released by said pathogens, or, in case of a virus or prion, by the cellular structure hosting it.
