Question: question for information purposes. I officiate wrestling and mixed martial arts. There were a lot of bleeders at the match last night. Of course we stop the match when there is blood and a medic cleans the wrestler and the mat. My questions are:

1. How long would the HIV live on the mat for instance if we missed a spot and another wrestler came into contact with the spilled blood.

2. How deep a wound does it need to be does a scratch or mat burn suffice?

3. As the official I came home after the match; used the bathroom and ate dinner, if there was something on my hand could it get into am abrasion I had, the time frame was for this was an hour to an hour and a half.

So I guess I want to know if HIV can be transmitted from blood on a wrestling mat

How long can it live in blood outside the body

In my case could I get Hiv from the mat, to my hand and then in another wound I was taking care of after one to one and a half hours after possible exposure.

Would HIV still be infectious in blood that was been outside the body after over an hour

Thanks

SO, once the blood leaves the body it would be non infectious.

I have heard that HIV cannot transmit from a surface to a person, it has to be human to human in a closed environment. Is this correct; if so it would be impossible to be infected from a wrestling mat am I correct?