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Can HSV Be Contracted Through Contact With Cold Sore And Infected Saliva?

Posted on Wed, 30 Sep 2015

Question: Hello doctor,
My and my friend went to a bar where there was a loud music. I know that my friend has cold sores and he told me before. As the music was very loud, he was talking closely from my face and he accidentally spit on my mouth while we were talking. His saliva splashed little bit on my mouth when i was trying to say something to him back. Please let me know whether i am in danger of getting cold sore/HSV1 from this act. And also we ordered a food and we shared the food from the common plate. The common food was on the table and we used a separate plates to share the common food. Please let me know whether this is also not good when a person has cold sore.

Answered by Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Chances of getting HSV 1 infection to you is meager.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Welcome to HCM.
Thanks for posting your query.

Cold sore usually occurs outside the mouth near angle of mouth,lips and nose and rarely inside the mouth. So splash of saliva is not infectious. Only skin to skin contact is infectious (kissing, sharing a fruit or vegetable with direct bite) and not through sharing a common plate. Moreover the individual is infectious only during the episodes of recurrences and around this manifestations and not for ever. So the chances of you getting HSV 1 infection is a remote possibility for you.
Dr S.Murugan

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (2 hours later)

Thank you doctor. I have one more question coming up in my mind when i read your answers. I came across a person in my life who told me that he had blisters inside the mouth. But not on lips and he was negative on HSV1 and HSV2 testings. What could be the reasons for the inside mouth blisters if it is not herpes? Are they infectious while talk as they may splash saliva sometimes? Please guide me as sometimes i get scared of interacting with people because of it.

Answered by Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Many conditions other than HSV 1 can cause mouth blisters. Not infectious

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Welcome back.

Blisters inside the mouth could be due so many conditions other than HSV 1 infection including drug eruption, irritant application, scalds and many other
non- venereal skin conditions like herpes Zoster, Pemphigus etc. They are not infectious, so the splash of saliva is harmless. So you need not worry about this possibility.
Dr S.Murugan

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (14 hours later)

Thanks doctor. I certainly got lots of useful information from you. How long the herpes virus will live outside of the world in the case of "sharing a fruit or vegetable with direct bite" or "someone touch the own blister and touch the gym equipment immediately". I read some articles before that the virus will die right away outside of the body. Is it a false information?

Answered by Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Unlikely to contaminate through inanimate objects

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Welcome back.
It is true that the virus cannot survive outside the body for not more than few seconds. But a fresh bite contaminated with saliva especially during the spell of a recurrence can be infectious. It is not contagious through Gym articles as it could take few more seconds to be used by another person and over dry objects.
Dr S Murugan

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (3 days later)

Thanks. I have only two more questions.

1. If the person has a herpes inside his/her mouth and it is active, the saliva can be contaminated. Is that correct? I am working in a field where i need to talk with too many new people in my day today activities and I am kind of short and when tall people talk to me closely, i am always afraid of their saliva as it can be splashed easily on my face. Is that a reasonable fear or am i paranoid?

2. If we touch someone else's active blister by hands, it can't be contagious unless we touch it back to our own mouth. Herpes/cold sores can be spread only on the mouth area and not anywhere else on the body even if we touch it. Is my assumption correct?

Answered by Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (53 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
HSV 1 can occur around nose and eyes also.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Welcome back.

1. If one has active Herpes lesions inside the mouth, then his saliva would likely be infectious. But splashing of saliva while talking is common for every one of us in our day to day activities. Theoretical possibilities are there, but practically we are not seeing such cases. All the individuals exposed to virus are not necessarily to acquire the infection. Only the susceptible are liable for infection.(It is applicable with many disease- individuals will react differently with different infections)
2. HSV 1 infection often occurs in and around lips, oral cavity, nasal area and rarely over eyes Whereas it can occur other sites very very rarely.
Dr S.Murugan

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (18 minutes later)

Thanks for all the useful information doctor

Answered by Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (25 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
You are welcome always

Detailed Answer:
You are always welcome. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Otherwise you can close this conversation.
Dr S Murugan

Note: Consult a Sexual Diseases Specialist online for further follow up- Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar