I heard that it is possible to get AIDS after being bitten by infected people. Is HIV present in saliva? I know some children are especially prone to biting each other.

Some young children go through biting stages. They should certainly be discouraged from exhibiting this behavior for obvious social and health-related reasons. However, the chances of contracting HIV from a bite are incredibly remote!

The virus (HIV) that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has been detected in saliva in extremely small amounts. As of March 1999, I am only aware of one documented case in which a person tested HIV positive after being bitten by an infected person. It is extremely important to note that this case was classified as blood-to-blood transmission not as saliva-to-blood transmission. This is because the biter had open bleeding sores in her mouth at the time of the assault and caused open bleeding wounds to her victim. Blood contains a much higher concentration of HIV compared to saliva. The following accounts are from a 1995 story in the San Francisco Chronicle:

"'For this kind of infection, the biter must have HIV and blood in the mouth, and must break the victim's skin', said Tom Liberti, an epidemiologist who administers Florida's office of disease intervention. 'The good news is that, over the years, we have taken hundreds of calls from police officers and children saying they were bitten, and none have resulted in transmission of HIV', Liberti said.

Researchers are considering the occurrence to be a blood-to-blood contact because the prostitute had bleeding gums when she bit her victim violently on the left hand, left arm and right leg during a robbery attempt.

'Many, many, many bites have been investigated, but this is the first time the HIV virus has been transmitted to the victim,' Malecki said.

'The woman had blood in her mouth, and her severe, brutal bites caused extensive tissue damage and bleeding in the patient,' Malecki said. 'We are looking at this as blood-borne transmission, not transmission through saliva'

Transmission of the virus through saliva alone has never been confirmed, the CDC said."

General References:

For more facts on HIV transmission, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia at http://www.cdc.gov

Elevated cortisol levels in whole saliva in HIV infected individuals Enwonwu C O; Meeks V I; Sawiris P G., European Journal of Oral Sciences 104 (3). 1996. 322-324.

Inhibitory activity in saliva of cell-to-cell transmission of human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type 1 in vitro: Evaluation of saliva as an alternative source of transmission. Yamamoto, T., et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. (June 1995) Abstract Available AIDSLINE.

Blood in saliva of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: Possible implication in sexual transmission of the disease. Piazza M; Chirianni A; Picciotto L; Cataldo P T; Borgia G; Orlando R Journal of Medical Virology 42 (1). 1994. 38-41.

HIV antibodies and antigen p24 in saliva. Diagnostic application and follow-up in high risk vertical transmission. Ferrer I; Tuset C; Elorza JF; Leon P; Tuset L; Picho D; Alvarez V., Immunology Service, Hospital General Universitario, Spain. Int Conf AIDS (NETHERLANDS) Jul 19-24 1992, 8 (2) pB209 (abstract no. PoB 3712).

Blood in saliva of HIV seropositive drug abusers: possible implication in AIDS transmission. Piazza M; Chirianni A; Picciotto L; Tullio Cataldo P; D'Abbraccio M; Borgia G; Orlando R; Valletta G; Matarasso S; Vaia E Boll Soc Ital Biol Sper (ITALY) Dec 1991, 67 (12) p1047-52.

AIDS transmission and saliva [letter] Voeller B., Lancet (ENGLAND) May 10 1986, 1 (8489) p1099-100.