Mucous membranes

Hello doctor,

I been reading post after post and cannot find an answer into this one, i know skin to skin contact is very less likely for hiv to get involve but how about mucous membranes, is it different from skin.  This is kind of an embrassing question but i need to ask, i went to washroom and hurt myself from the toilet paper when i need to clean my anal, i feel some burning sensation after cleaning it, i think i may have clean it too hard and scratch myself....  later that day i went and met this guy in the bar, i don't know his hiv status but know he is a playboy, i didn't do any sex contact with him, oral, anal or any kind of sex but we did engage touching each other naked, he did touch inside the anal area which i think i may have hurt myself earlier that day and now i seem worry, i am worry that he may have cut his fingers and may somehow contact the mucous membranes in my anal area....

I know in my case it is very similar to all those massage question but my worry is that the cut is not on my skin but in my anal.
A.   Is Mucous memberanes easier to contact hiv than skin?
B.  Is mine any different than skin to skin contact.
c.  what is my risk but the exposure i describe to you, (if he has a paper cut and somehow touch where i think my anal is cut)
D.  Do you recommend me to have any testing?

PS:  i am a female.

Thank you doctor

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

There is no risk for transmission of HIV or any other infection.  You didn't have sex, and genital or anal fingering doesn't transmit STDs or HIV, regardless of cuts or injuries to the tissues.  I don't recommend any testing on the basis of this event.

Good luck-- HHH, MD

[ATJP]

dr.hhh

my last worry then I promise I would stop here...I now know fingering does not transmitted hiv but isn't  the tissue in the anal (mucous membranes) easy to contain hiv if I have a cut ande his finger was cut? in that case than blood is involve, than would u think hiv increase its risk? as you can see my main concern is that I worry blood was involve although we did not have sex and just touch each other thanks my last question promise...

[ATJP]

any comment?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

In assessing risk, you often need to discard "common sense".  What you say should, in theory, be true; having any exposure to secretions with an open lesion undoubtedly is higher risk than without the lesion.  But nobody has ever documented HIV transmission by fingering, either vaginal or anal.  Might there have been some cases?  Probably.  Is the risk high enough to measure (or to worry about)?  Clearly not.

HHH, MD