HIV is not transmitted by spitting and there has been no case of transmission of HIV from having been spat upon. ASHM does not endorse or support HIV testing of an individual because they have been spat upon by a person with HIV or a person of unknown HIV status.
Background:
HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV is a retrovirus which is
“transmitted following contact with infected bodily fluids. The typical routes of transmission are unprotected sex, blood-to-blood contact (including needle-stick injuries, sharing injecting equipment and contaminated blood products) and vertical transmission (from mother to child before, during and after birth). Less common routes include tattooing, organ and tissue transplantation, artificial insemination and semi-invasive medical procedures.”
ASHM (2009) HIV Management in Australasia, p37
However iatrogenic transmission is not seen in Australia since the blood supply commenced screening all samples in 1984.
HIV is not spread by other bodily fluids [i], “HIV cannot be spread through saliva, and there is no documented case of transmission from an HIV-infected person spitting on another person” [ii].
“While infectious HIV is detected in the saliva, it is present in substantially reduced quantities compared with blood or genital secretions. Furthermore, the saliva contains endogenous antiviral factors including HIV-specific antibodies and a number of soluble factors such as secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor [ii]. Saliva may alter gp120 structure and lyse HIV-infected cells secondary to the inherent hypotonicity of the saliva”. [iv]
ASHM (2009) HIV Management in Australasia, p39
Date adopted:
March 2015
Author and review:
Levinia Crooks (a)
Mark Boyd ®