hiv blood

[ajf005299]

I know this is going to sound silly but please bear with me...I got into a little spat with a person at a fast food restaurant. I have been afraid that they could have contaminated my food. If there were to be blood or any bodily fluids in a hamburger could this transmit hiv...I know i have a couple ulcers/blisters in my mouth...should i test to be safe?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

STOP IT.  You are worrying wihtout cause.  No difference.  In addition, seeing that this post is rapidly becoming an anxiety driven exercise in "what its", it is time to end it.  Further questions will be deleted. EWH

[ajf005299]

One more thing...oral blisters/ulcers would not make a difference?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

As I said, you have nothing to worry about.  Take care.  EWH

[ajf005299]

Thanks doctor...so there is really not much to worry about in regards to coming into contact with odily fluids in a non-sexual situation? Sometimes my obsessive compuslsive disorder gets the better of me and I worry about these things.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

No one has ever gotten HIV by ingesting contaminated food, you will not be the first.  If there was HIV on your food (which I find incredibly unlikely for a number of reasons), the mouth is a hostile environment where the virus dies quickly.  Once the virus gets to the high acid environment of the stomach, that would kill any virus that remains.

There is no medical reason for testing.  If you must get tested to alleviate your anxiety, I would wait till 8 weeks to do so.  At that time 98-99% of tests that are going to be positive will be and when you get your negative test result you can know that you do not have HIV.  I know it now.

Hope this helps.  EWH

[NeverDespair879]

First of all, where would they get HIV blood to contaminate your food. On top of that, I believe it is very hard to transmit HIV that way.

I believe that even if you swallow semen that is HIV infected, the transmission rate is VERY LOW.

You should get tested JUST TO RELIEVE YOUR ANXIETY.

[ajf005299]

also i have come down with cold like symptoms about two days later , dont know if this is relavant.