Hiv risk from open cuts

[jed76]

I have not slept for two nights.  I am wondering if I have put myself at risk. I work with a person who has hiv.  He has had it for ten years and seems to be doing just fine.  However i am worried because I had a pretty bad cut on my finger ( I have a habit of picking at my cuticals which i am trying to stop) and my coworker dropped a stack of paper we both reached for.  I know this sounds nuts, but he always has similar cuts on his fingers (he has a chewing habit which i've worried about before) our two fingers rubbed up against each other for a second as we grabbed the sheets.  My cut was not bleeding and I didn't see any blood on my finger, BUT I did see some blood collected in the corner of his fingernail.  I googled hiv from open cuts but hte info is confusing.  How much blood need be present to make this a bad risk.  Should i go get tested and how alarmed should I be. Advice? Thankyou for reading my question.  If he did have a tiny trace of blood that rubbed against my cut am i in trouble?  

[Mitch82]

No risk, HIV only tranismtted by:
-unprotected anal intercourse
-unprotected vaginal intercourse
-sharing IV drug works
- mother to child

Relax and sleep well

[jed76]

Thanks for the info. But what about the little bit of blood that was in the corner of my coworkers finger.  Even if it was not "gushing" blood, if a small amount of that blood got into my cut couldn't I be at risk.  I am aslo a little worried because now I have a sore throat and have been sweating really bad.  I have read that these can be symptoms that one may have caught hiv.  Should i be worried about these symptoms. the "incident" happened 4 days ago 3 days ago would the symptoms begin so quick?  Sorry to be a bother agin. i am realyy tring my best to relax.  

[jhguy011]

Unless you have unprotected anal sex with your coworker or share IV drug works with him, there is absolutely no way for him to transmit the virus to you.

Environmental contact, despite possible cuts, is not going to transmit the virus.

I don't care how much blood his little cut had or how long it touched or how much you pick at your nails, you cannot transmit the virus in this manner.  The blood that has bled outside his cut has been exposed to air, which severely compromises the structure of the virus and inactivates it.  Once an HIV pathogen has been structurally compromised, it cannot attach to a cell in a human's bloodstream to start the replication process.  Furthermore, even if he were bleeding all over your hand, your cut is likely very shallow and has healed from the bottom upward.  HIV has to have direct access to the bloodstream and has to be directly inserted into the bloodstream.

[jed76]

thanks. good luck with finals. you will do great.