Bodily Fluids & HIV

As discussed on the Risks main page, certain criteria need to be fulfilled in order for HIV to be transmitted. The first of these is related to bodily fluids.

To jump straight to the list of infectious and non-infectious body fluids click here.

The following conditions of bodily fluids are required for HIV to be transmitted:

Presence of HIV	HIV must be present in the bodily fluid in order for it to be transmitted from one person to another. HIV is present in a number of bodily fluids.
A "good quality" of bodily fluid	Some bodily fluids are better carriers of HIV than others and this can change in individuals over the course of their infection. The freshness of a sample of bodily fluid is also important - when bodily fluids leave the body, they are exposed to air and are cooled thereby denaturing HIV quite quickly.
A sufficient quantity of bodily fluid	The size of the sample of infected bodily fluid a person is exposed to i.e. the larger the sample, the greater the risk of infection.
A route by which HIV can enter the body	HIV needs to get into the blood stream in order for it to infect its host cell. There are several routes by which HIV can enter the body. Click here to go to the list of viable HIV infection routes.

The list below shows which bodily fluids may be risk factor in HIV transmission:

HIV is not present in:
	Urine
	Faeces
	Vomit
	Sweat

HIV is present in negligible (non-infectious) quantities in:
	Saliva (only detected in a very small number of people)
	Tears
	Blister Fluid

HIV is present in sufficient (infectious) quantities in:
	Rectal lubricating secretions (in very high concentrations)
	Blood and blood products
	Semen and pre-ejaculate (pre-cum)
	Vaginal/Cervical secretions or juices
	Breast Milk

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