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HIV - saliva, fresh bleeding cut
I asked this question in the public forum, but I would really appreciate an expert opinion.
I want to start off by saying that I am pregnant, which is the only reason for my concern here.
Last week, I went to an event with my husband, and I was talking with one of our friends who happens to have HIV, and she was very drunk. While she was talking to me and telling me a story, she caught my finger with her fingernail and my finger actually started to bleed. She noticed it bleeding and actually LICKED the blood off my bleeding cut while apologizing to me for scratching me.
I have tried to tell myself not to freak out, because I know some about HIV and have read several times that it cannot be transmitted through saliva. What I want to know is the following...
A) Is this event in any way a concern for transmission of HIV, since she directly licked my fresh, BLEEDING cut;
B) If she had a bleeding cut, gums, etc., in her mouth where blood would have mixed with her saliva, would this then be a risk for transmission;
If no to both, please explain why. As I said before, I am pregnant and am worried about this quite a bit since it happened.
Thanks for your help.
I want to start off by saying that I am pregnant, which is the only reason for my concern here.
Last week, I went to an event with my husband, and I was talking with one of our friends who happens to have HIV, and she was very drunk. While she was talking to me and telling me a story, she caught my finger with her fingernail and my finger actually started to bleed. She noticed it bleeding and actually LICKED the blood off my bleeding cut while apologizing to me for scratching me.
I have tried to tell myself not to freak out, because I know some about HIV and have read several times that it cannot be transmitted through saliva. What I want to know is the following...
A) Is this event in any way a concern for transmission of HIV, since she directly licked my fresh, BLEEDING cut;
B) If she had a bleeding cut, gums, etc., in her mouth where blood would have mixed with her saliva, would this then be a risk for transmission;
If no to both, please explain why. As I said before, I am pregnant and am worried about this quite a bit since it happened.
Thanks for your help.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
"Superficial cuts and scratches are not entry points for HIV" is an accurate statement. Maybe if a superficial scratch were unusually exposed, e.g. vigorously rubbed with HIV infected blood. But not with the sort of exposure you had.
You have a common misunderstanding about timing of reliable HIV antibody tests. A single test at 6-8 weeks is sufficient; or even at 4 weeks, when over 90% of newly infected persons have positive results. Or if your Ob has access to the newly available duo test (for both HIV antibody and p24 antigen), a 4 week test is 100% reliable. Here is a thread that discusses these issues: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/1347755
Really, try to stay mellow about this. You'll be fine.
You have a common misunderstanding about timing of reliable HIV antibody tests. A single test at 6-8 weeks is sufficient; or even at 4 weeks, when over 90% of newly infected persons have positive results. Or if your Ob has access to the newly available duo test (for both HIV antibody and p24 antigen), a 4 week test is 100% reliable. Here is a thread that discusses these issues: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/1347755
Really, try to stay mellow about this. You'll be fine.
Thank you. I guess my mind is eased...sort of. I know she acted inappropriately, but then again I am quite sure she is not one who cares or stops to think about potential diseases others carry. I am not too sure what her viral load is or any of that, and I would not want to offend and bring it up to her.
I did already have the routine HIV test at 10 weeks pregnant, and I now will have to wait an additional 12 weeks for another, correct?
So, is it correct to say that the people who write "superficial cuts and scratches are not entry points for HIV" are wrong in their statements?
Sorry to bother, I am just quite upset over this whole ordeal.
I did already have the routine HIV test at 10 weeks pregnant, and I now will have to wait an additional 12 weeks for another, correct?
So, is it correct to say that the people who write "superficial cuts and scratches are not entry points for HIV" are wrong in their statements?
Sorry to bother, I am just quite upset over this whole ordeal.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the HIV forum. I'll try to help.
The bottom line is that there is no realistic chance you caught HIV. The scratch by your friend's fingernail carried no risk at all, and saliva inactivates HIV. So even if your friend's HIV infection is poorly controlled (i.e. high virus levels in her blood etc), the mouth/saliva contact carried little or no risk. Even if here were also blood in her mouth, gum disease, etc, her own saliva would have inactivated the virus. This is one of the reasons oral sex almost never transmits HIV.
Having said that, your friend behaved inappropriately. The scratch was an accident, but nobody should ever lick another person's wound, whether or not they have HIV or anything else. It's just basic hygiene and helps prevent such skin infections like staph, strep, etc. Probably her being drunk had some role here. (On top of this, no person should exposure herself to another person's blood in this way! What if you were a hepatitis carrier, for example?)
HIV testing is routine and automatic these days in pregnant women, so if your Ob hasn't already tested you, probably s/he is planning to do so. You should tell him/her about this event; s/he may decide to test you again, just to reassure you that you weren't infected. But in the meantime, you really shouldn't be at all worried about this event.
I hope this helps. Best wishes for you and your growing family!
Regards-- HHH, MD
The bottom line is that there is no realistic chance you caught HIV. The scratch by your friend's fingernail carried no risk at all, and saliva inactivates HIV. So even if your friend's HIV infection is poorly controlled (i.e. high virus levels in her blood etc), the mouth/saliva contact carried little or no risk. Even if here were also blood in her mouth, gum disease, etc, her own saliva would have inactivated the virus. This is one of the reasons oral sex almost never transmits HIV.
Having said that, your friend behaved inappropriately. The scratch was an accident, but nobody should ever lick another person's wound, whether or not they have HIV or anything else. It's just basic hygiene and helps prevent such skin infections like staph, strep, etc. Probably her being drunk had some role here. (On top of this, no person should exposure herself to another person's blood in this way! What if you were a hepatitis carrier, for example?)
HIV testing is routine and automatic these days in pregnant women, so if your Ob hasn't already tested you, probably s/he is planning to do so. You should tell him/her about this event; s/he may decide to test you again, just to reassure you that you weren't infected. But in the meantime, you really shouldn't be at all worried about this event.
I hope this helps. Best wishes for you and your growing family!
Regards-- HHH, MD
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