[Question #8196] HIV transmission

47 months ago

I think I’m over reacting but here goes: I’m a gay guy. Today i was in the company of another gay guy who I don’t know. He was on a bed on his back masturbsting while exposing his anus. He used a lubricated dildo and his own fingers inside of his anus. He pulled the dildo out. I was standing at the edge of the bed while masturbating myself. Our bodies did not touch. We were about 10 inches away from each other. However I ejaculated thru the air right onto his anus right after the dildo came out of him. My ejaculate landed on his anus. He later told me he is hiv positive. I’m having an anxiety attack wondering if any of his pre ejaculate or anal secretions could have somehow transferred back up onto me when I ejaculated. When you ejaculate outside of the body could secretions from his body ever get back up on my urethra via my ejaculate and infect me with hiv? (Kind of like when you spit and sometimes it comes back up to you.) I’m super anxious so that’s why I’m

Asking. Another question: at how many weeks is an hiv 3rd generation rapid test result definitive?

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

47 months ago

Welcome back to the forum. Thanks for your continued confidence in our services. I happened to log in soon after you posted this question: most users should not expect nearly real-time replies!

My initial reaction? Indeed you are WAY overreacting! In a way, the answer to this question was included in the closing reply to your first question on the forum three years ago, in which I wrote this:

It [HIV transmission] takes lots of virus having contact with specialized cells, typically deep inside the body. Even in the highest risk of all sexual transmission scenarios, i.e. ejaculation by an HIV infected man into the rectum of an uninfected one, transmission occurs only once for every 200-500 exposures. If a woman is infected, unprotected vaginal sex, lasting several minutes, has 1 chance in 2,500 for the male partner. Given these numbers, how high could it possibly be with the very small amounts of fluid involved in the events you have described?

Obviously such an exposure could not result during the events described this time. And I don't follow the business about spit that "comes back to you". I suppose if these events occurred in a wind tunnel or outdoors in a hurricane -- but even then, that would expose you to your own uninfected semen, not your partner's body fluids! On top of all that, the only anatomic site that your partner exposed was his anus, which does not emit HIV infected fluid.

I strongly recommend against HIV testing on account of these events. Clearly the only health issue reflected here is emotional, not one of infection risk. But if you insist, with a third generation HIV blood test, you'd need to wait until 8 weeks after exposure.

Really, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Nobody in the world ever caught HIV from any sort of event even remotely like his. Do your best to forget it and move along with no worries at all.

Best wishes-- HHH, MD

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