A couple of years ago I was talking to a pharmacist about this antibacterial hand lotion I was using. For some reason I have since forgot, I was talking to him about whether this antibacterial lotion could kill viruses, cold viruses for example. He said probably not, because not many things kill viruses on contact. In fact iodine in a solution was the only thing he could think of that killed viruses on contact (though keep in mind anything with a general cleansing effect, like ordinary soap e.g., could be antiviral on unbroken skin–so continue to wash your hands to avoid colds). Fast forward a short while to when I am watching an old episode of COPS. A police officer is searching a suspect, and accidentally gets stuck with a needle in his pocket. To deal with the situation, the cop starts cleaning the wound with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. By now I know this is a futile action. Not only would the alcohol in the sanitizer not help, it might inflame the area and make an infection worse (according to an article I once read–possibly in the Merck manual). (Important note: It is also important to remember if you get stuck with needle in a situation like this, you should go straight to the emergency room, where they can give you antiviral drugs and where they know better than you how to deal with this situation.)
Anyways, I also recall hearing somewhere that human saliva has antiviral and anti-AIDS properties (you never find the AIDS virus in human saliva for this reason). As I’ve said, if you get stuck with a suspicious needle, don’t hesitate to go to the emergency room. But while you are being driven there or while you are waiting for the ambulance, would it help any to clean the wound with your saliva–literally spit in your wound? Because after all human saliva is the only over-the-counter thing, as it were, that is proven to be anti-AIDS. And in a situation like this, you could probably use anything that gives you a fighting chance. (Note. This is question is purely hypothetical, and is not meant as advice in a situation like this. Just go straight to the emergency room, as I’ve said, if this happens.)
Can you cite research which “proves” that “human saliva is…anti-AIDS”? There is research which indicates that saliva may have an inhibitory effect on HIV but I’m unaware that there exists definitive proof of the type you suggest.
That being said, and not being an MD, spitting in the wound strikes me as an ineffective mode of treatment.
I am unaware of any exact cite I could give, but it does seem to be common knowledge I think. In any event, I will be away from these boards for a couple hours now. If anyone else knows a cite or anything else they can offer about the antiviral, anti-AIDS properties of saliva, they are welcome to offer it. If the matter isn’t resolved by the time I get back to the boards, I will just do a google search on it. Naturally I invite other people to do the google search in the meantime if they wish;).
You may be right, it may be of some use and no harm. I recall reading that the transmission of viruses by kissing is an old wives tale because saliva kills viruses. Apparently all respiratory viruses have to be inhaled to have any effect. If you licked up droplets it would not infect you. I’ll look for confirmation.
Reading on yhe internet indicates that transmission of viruses by kissing is fairly common. Whatever I read some years ago has obviously been disproven.
Well, if I may have the parting shot (but please, if anyone has anything more to add feel free), I actually heard a little more about the antiviral (and antibacterial) properties of saliva–from another pharmacist, naturally. (It is easy to get alot of info from pharmacists, if you know how to ask (Hint: they don’t want you to sue them for making a diagnosis that turns out to be false;).).) I was recently talking to a pharmacist. I had a mild irritation in my mouth that I suspected was a mouth fungal infection (it turned out to be basically nothing BTW–but that is only incidental to my story of course). I was talking to this pharmacist, asking him if it warranted going to my doctor (some fungal infections can be treated at home, you know). He said, dropping the (don’t-sue-me) caution I usually get from pharmacists, if it was a fungal infection in my mouth, it probably won’t get too bad. The saliva after all has defenses against microbial infections, he explained. So it might become chronic, but it certainly would never get (too much) worse.
Now again, I have to caution those reading this thread, this is just a hypothetical argument. I have no reason to believe saliva is antiviral or anti-AIDS outside of the mouth (neither is iodine as far as I know–no one has ever recommended, e.g., that IV drug users sterilize their needles with iodine after all). But the pharmacist did say something interesting at the end of our conversation. I mused aloud that with all its (apparent) disease fighting properties, someone should really harness the power of saliva somehow, to which he surprised me by saying that some day medical science may do just that.
So in conclusion, if you get stuck by a dirty needle go to the emergency room–don’t bother spitting in the wound. But on the other hand, someday when you get to the emergency room they may save your life with that very substance that has been lying on sidewalks and spittoons for years. Go figure.
There may be some very minor antiviral properties to saliva, but at the same time the human mouth contains numerous germs that could be spread to the wound that you are trying to keep clean in the process of spitting on it. I bet you are much more likely to infect your wound via your mouth than you are to kill any significant amount of HIV that is entering that wound.
I also would not accept without proof that saliva has anti-viral properties. Antibacterial maybe, but I doubt antiviral.
Years ago (c. 1983) there was a confirmed case of HIV infection in an elderly man. The newspaper story (SF Chronicle) stated that the only/most likely source of transmission was from his wife, who had been infected by contaminated blood transfusion in conjunction with some surgery. Due do their ages, their sexual activity consisted of cuddling and kissing. Ergo: HIV transmission had been documented as having occurred via kissing.
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