[Question #7490] Eating blood in salad
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56 months ago
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Hello, I just got my anxiety down by getting my results for a full STD panel a few days ago.
Today I arrived to one arabian country with a high prevelance of HCV. Once I arrived to the hotel I ordered a ceaser salad. After eating it I found out that the towels around the fork and knife had tiny blood spots on. I immediately called the reception and filled a complaint. A guy came to my room to check the towel and told me its something “ little” and It happened accidentally while the chief was cutting the lettuce. They just gave me the price of the salad back
I’m worried if I should get tested again? Am I at risk form any blood-borne disease? HBV - HCV- HIV?
I’m planning to get a vaccine for HBV after doing my HPV one as you doctor suggested
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
56 months ago
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Welcome back to the forum. I’ll be glad to answer this question. HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C may be transmitted when infectious blood is injected deep into tissue, gaining access to the bloodstream. Exposure to blood through touching a dried blood spot, through swallowing blood which may contaminate food, or touching a surface which may have had blood on it in the past does not pose any meaningful risk for infection. The blood that you saw does not put you at risk for infection, even if you happened to ingest some of it with your salad.
Congratulations on your decision to be vaccinated for HPV. FYI you can simultaneously receive the vaccine for hepatitis B. There is no need to wait until you have completed the HPV vaccination series to seek vaccination for hepatitis B protection.
I hope this information is helpful to you. EWH
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56 months ago
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Thank you for your reply,
I have braces on, so sometimes they rub against my cheeks and cause blood. I just check my mouth and I have a scratch that when I put tissues on it stains small blood behind my right wisdom teeth. If this sore was exposed to the blood in the lettuce if there was any( I don’t know if there was any blood I just saw dried blood on the utensils towel)
1- will that increase my risk?
2- should I wait for 3 months and test for these viruses again?
3- I’ll be back in 9 days, can I have sex with my girlfriend or should I wait till I get tested again?
4- regarding my past question that you answered ( HPV ) the lesion is still here. I don’t know if it’s from my girlfriend or no but if my biopsy and swab showed negative HPV for most subtypes can I continue sex with her? I don’t want to risk it because if it was not from her I’ll then transmit it to her and she might be at risk for cervical cancer.(I’m still not diagnosed- Full STD -ve except BV in swab .
Lesion shave biopsy was also negative HPV for more than 100 types)
Thank you Dr hook. I trust you blindly because I have read your responses even in MedHelp
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
56 months ago
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Sores in your mouth, whether due to braces, wisdom teeth, gum disease, or other causes make no difference. This is still a no risk event. Therefore:
1. No
2. No need.
3. There is no need to abstain from unprotected sex with your girlfriend related to the event you describe.
4. Your biopsy is a definitive test. It was not HPV. Therefore no reason to abstain from sex because of it.
Ewh
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56 months ago
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Thank you doctor.
1- I’m still worried about the lesion because I read many articles that HPV biopsies have a high chance of false negatives and they are not accurate. This is why doctors don’t usually do them and they depend on the warts showing to classify them. Is this true?
2- Just for my anxiety if I ever wanted to test for these viruses again when is the best time? 6 months for hepatitis and 6 weeks for HIV? I don’t want to take more PCR’s as they costed me way too much last time.
3- The girl I’m talking to just got her results, she had negatives in everything except BV the same as me. This confirms that she gave it to me right?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
56 months ago
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These will be final answers to this series of questions. Please be aware that we discourage repetitive, anxiety driven questions. Your questions are both. The answers will not change. Future repetitive questions may be deleted without a reply or return of your posting fee.
1. Doctors do not typically do not biopsy benign lesions because they are of no consequence. Combined with the other testing performed on the biopsy, you have had the definitive test. I would discourage you from believing internet misinformation.
2. HIV testing will be conclusive after 6 weeks, testing for the hepatitis viruses after 3 months. I have already told you the is no need for testing at all.
3. Males do not ge BV. There is no evidence that anyone “gave” anyone anything
This completes this thread. EWH
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